


In The Little Town of Jasper...

by J_leeDixon



Category: Walking Dead (TV), daryl dixon - Fandom
Genre: Anal Play, Anal Sex, Consensual Kink, Daryl Dixon Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Romance, Sex Toys, Soulmates, Spanking, daryl dixon au, period sex, sex during menstruation, very slight D/s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-01-13 12:36:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 65
Words: 400,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1226524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_leeDixon/pseuds/J_leeDixon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>-Abrasive. Yes, that description fit him perfectly. The guy smelled like trouble, and she knew he would get even more abrasive the longer she talked to him. Too bad she didn't care. -A pretty stranger that talked to him, knew his name and his place of work? In Daryl's book, that just couldn't be good news. AU - Daryl Dixon/OC, Explicit for language and sexual situations. Yes smut!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The alarm on her Iphone went off at 6.30 am for the fifth time that week and the only thing that kept her from staring daggers and grumbling at the offending device for ,also, the fifth time that week was, that it was finally Friday. She just had to get through one more day and then she would be able to kick back and recharge and enjoy the weekend. Still she had a hard time dragging herself up into a sitting position, knowing the day would be hell. Her father had warned her that Mondays and Fridays were the busiest days of the week for them. She had already experienced a Monday and that hadn't been fun at all, so she knew today wouldn't be much better and that thought didn't really get her in the mood to swing her legs out from under her cozy warm blanket and set her bare feet on the hardwood floor, so she could get up and get ready for work.

“Well, here goes nothing.” she sighed after giving her face a good rub. She had just gotten herself to lift the blanket off of her legs, when the Imperial March, Darth Vader's theme song from Star Wars resounded right next to her hip, where she had dropped her phone after turning off the alarm. It was the ringtone assigned to calls from her parents. She buried her head in her hands with a groan, debating if she should just let it go to voicemail or face whatever her parents had in store for her now. Why did they have to call at this hour anyway? She would see her father at work, couldn't it wait until then? She decided to just succumb to her fate and answer the phone. If she didn't she wouldn't be able to enjoy her shower because she'd be too busy trying to guess what the reason for the call had been.

“He-” she didn't even get to say hello, her mother, Bernadette Robertson, was on the other end of the line and her slightly shrill voice was interrupting her daughter mid-word.

“What on God's green earth took so long for you to answer the phone, Theodora? You live in a 3-bedroom apartment, not in a palace. Do you make your patients wait this long as well until you answer their calls? What if I had been dying from a heart attack?”

'If only...' Teddy thought, suppressing another groan.

“Why would you even call me if you had a heart attack when you have daddy, who is also a doctor, sitting right next to you reading the paper?”

“Maybe he was poisoned. The love of my life dying sure is reason enough for me to have a heart attack, isn't it?” her mother had a penchant for dramatics and outrageous what-if-scenarios. Teddy slapped her hand against her forehead in exasperation and shook her head.

“Just call an ambulance. I wouldn't be able to save you both anyway. I am not House M.D.”

“He might have been a curmudgeonly bastard, but at least he loved his mother.” Bernadette said, exasperated herself and Teddy could just picture her sitting at the dining table already dressed in a Chanel suit with perfectly coiffed hair and her usual make-up, while she tapped the manicured nails of one hand on the beech wood table top.

“You talking about Daddy or House M.D.?”

“Theodora Marie Robertson! Don't you get funny with me this early in the morning. I swear to the Lord, you kids WILL give me a heart attack one day. At least now I know to call an ambulance because my own daughter will be too busy to answer her phone when her mother is in the throes of death.” Bernadette's voice rose in volume and thus the shrillness also reached the limit of what Teddy was able to take. She took a deep breath, reminding herself to fight the urge of antagonizing her mother in order to not make the day even worse than it already was.

“Is there something I can help you with, mother?”

“I just called to let you know that you don't need to bring yourself lunch today. I had Rosario make you and your father some sandwiches. Egg Salad, your favorite.”

“I hate egg salad.” Teddy sighed.

“Nonsense. You love egg salad. You've loved it ever since you were a little kid.”

“That was Billy, not me.” Teddy argued. Her brother was a goat, he ate pretty much everything.

“Nonsense, it was the both of you.”

“Mom, just because we're twins doesn't mean that we share EVERY single trait.”

“Oh that is true, my dear. You at least got some brains.”

“I am not having this conversation. Is that it? You just wanted to let me know about lunch?”

“Yes dear.” Bernadette confirmed.

“Alright, thanks. I gotta go get ready for work now. I'll see you next week.”

“What do you mean you'll see me next week? You're not coming to dinner tonight?”

“I told you I am having dinner with Billy tonight and on the weekend I need to finish unpacking all these damn boxes. If you would kindly excuse me now, I have to take a shower.”

“You haven't showered yet? What are you waiting for? Do you want to be late and risk somebody dying for real?”

“Good Lord, mother...” Teddy shook her head once more and pressed her fingers against the left side of her temple where she felt a headache building.

“Go get ready. I will see you next week.” Bernadette finally hung up and Teddy dropped the phone back on the bed before she plopped back down to cuddle into her pillow for another minute, seeking some comfort from the soft material. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Why had she decided to move here and work with her father in his practice of family doctors? She was used to a stressful life, just two weeks ago she had practically lived at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, working all kinds of crazy hours in the pediatrics ward, never knowing when she'd be able to get a couple minutes of sleep or what kind of emergency would come up next, so yeah dealing with stress had never been an issue for her, but the life she had been leading this past week? That had turned out to be a whole new level of stress and she had a hard time adjusting to this new, “peaceful” way of life.

She took one last look at the time and saw that it was too late to take a shower now. Thankfully working 48-hour shifts at the hospital had taught her a thing or two about quick hygiene,so she reached over to pull open the drawer of her nightstand and got out a pack of wet wipes and scrubbed the most important parts of her body, starting with her face before she moved to her armpits and other lower regions. Putting the pack of wet wipes back into the drawer, she pulled out a spray can of dry shampoo next and sprayed some on her hair. Next she used deodorant and then applied some body lotion. After that she finally got out of bed to put on clean underwear and then went to the bathroom to rub her waist-long, wavy, dark brown hair with a towel before she brushed it quickly and voilá, clean hair within two minutes. Thank God for dry shampoo. She used the toilet and brushed her teeth, applied some eyeliner and mascara and got dressed and was ready to go to work within ten minutes. Things started to look up, because now she had time to enjoy a quick coffee before she had to leave for work. It was those little simple pleasures that kept her going on days like today. Another simple pleasure she was looking forward to? Having dinner with her twin brother Billy that night. She really couldn't wait. The thought of spending time with him for the first time since she moved back here at least made her leave her apartment building with a smile on her face, giving the people she met on her way the impression that she was actually excited to go to work. If they only knew.

######### ######## ########## #########

Daryl Dixon looked up at the wall clock while he wiped his oil-stained hands on a dirty old rag, that used to be white in color once upon a time. A disgruntled sigh left his mouth when he noticed that it still wasn't five pm, but four thirty. Another half hour to go before he could go home, put his feet up and enjoy fast food, some beers and some smokes in front of the TV. It would be the first weekend in a long time he would be able to spend all by himself, since Merle had gotten thrown in jail for the next year on an assault charge. Deep down Daryl was glad that Merle would be gone for a long while. No more drunk rages from his older brother, no more shady people at his place, no more drugs laying around his place, no more police knocking on his door in the middle of the night. No, just him all by himself with his television and take-out food. He would thoroughly enjoy those two days of being alone with nobody around to bother him.

“Hey Dixon.” Daryl looked over his shoulder at his colleague, Billy Robertson, who had called out for him.

“What?” Daryl asked aggressively, but Billy wasn't fazed. Daryl always sounded aggressive, it wasn't news. Billy had worked with Daryl for four years now, he knew that the guy was actually kinda nice and always lent a helping hand when somebody asked him to. He was just putting up a tough front for whatever reason.

“Can't wait to get out of here, can you?” Billy smiled, having noticed Daryl looking at the wall clock repeatedly. “Got plans?”

“Nah.” Daryl answered with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

“I'm having a party for my sister on Saturday at my place. You should come.”

“Don't even know yer sister, man.” Daryl didn't really feel like partying, especially not with a bunch of strangers or some of that stuck up family Billy comes from.

“So what? You'll meet her when you get there. You saying no to free food and booze just 'cause you don't know her? It's not gonna be like a huge thing. She just moved here and I want her to meet some people, help her make some friends. It's gonna be a couple of guys from work and the bar and some of their friends. No big rager or anything.” Billy tried to convince Daryl to come. He knew he wasn't the most social being in the world, but he liked him and wanted to include him. Well, he wanted to try at least.

“Dunno.” Daryl gave another shrug and busied himself with putting some of his tools away and turning his back on Billy.

“Alright. If you change your mind, you're welcome to join us. Party starts at eight pm, you know where I live, just swing by if you feel like it.” Billy offered one last time before falling silent again and finishing changing the tires on the car he was working on.

Exactly half an hour later Daryl dashed out of the auto shop like a bat out of hell. Neither did he bother with changing into clean clothes for the ride home, nor did he say bye to anybody on his way out. Again, nothing his co-workers weren't used to. Daryl jumped in his truck and gripped the steering wheel in his still slightly oil-covered hands and drove home, only stopping by Kramer's burger joint to pick up some food before he arrived at his shoddy apartment building. Upon entering his apartment and closing the door behind him he walked into his tiny bedroom, pulled off his dirty work clothes except for his white wife-beater, black boxer briefs and white tennis socks. He completed the outfit with a pair of old gray sweatpants and then left the bedroom for the kitchen to get his six pack of beer from the fridge. Armed with food and drinks he finally settled his behind into the old green corduroy of the couch that was probably older than him and barely cushioned his body anymore, but it still beat sitting on the hard floor. Daryl turned on the TV and unpacked his food and after he took his first bite and the first sip of his heavenly cool beer, he nodded to himself contentedly. Yeah, this he had missed, a quiet moment without having to worry about anything. He would be able to fall asleep in front of the TV peacefully, without having to worry about his brother charging in, high as a kite and causing a ruckus. For him, life didn't get much better than this. It would be the highlight of his entire month, if not of the entire year, it was only February after all. 

###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### #######

“Hey Billy Goat!” Teddy grinned and hugged her twin brother when he opened his apartment door with a huge smile on his face.

“Oh how I didn't miss that nickname.” he laughed and embraced his sister tightly.

“Good for you that you might not have to get used to it again then.” Teddy smiled while she pulled away.

“Uh-oh, what does that mean? Do I have to turn your 'Welcome to Georgia'-party into a 'Goodbye Georgia'-party?”

“Maybe. Man, it has only been a week and I am ready to hitchhike back to Seattle, straight to the hospital and beg for my job back.” 

“Oh come on, it's just been a week, you just need some time to adjust. It might have worked better if you would have been able to take this week off to get settled first.” Billy said while he led her into his living room and motioned for her to sit on the couch. Annoyance was tinging his voice, but his anger wasn't directed at Teddy, but at their parents.

“Yeah, tell me about it. The parental unit is driving me up the wall. Seriously, I moved here on Saturday and Dad already makes me work on Monday? I unpacked like three boxes, I still have a shitload to do, but I never get to it, because they make me spend time with them until I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I get up, go to work, go to have dinner or other 'fun' activities with them and then I go to sleep. That was my whole week. I don't know the patients, don't know how the whole system works in that office and instead of just letting me watch and learn and adjust a couple of days first, he throws me into the water and expects me to be the best swimmer the world has ever seen. Just fucking overwhelmed right now.” Teddy plopped down on the couch and yawned while Billy got her some 7Up from the fridge.

“I know, but you know our parents. You had to know what you were getting yourself into.” Billy understood that Teddy was overwhelmed and was putting all the blame on their parents right now, but he also knew that his sister wasn't stupid and had to have been aware that it wouldn't be a walk in the park.

“Yeah, you're right, I knew. It just sounded all so good. I loved Seattle, but I had to get out of there. Everything reminded me of him. And who would say no to fewer hours and better pay? I just like to bitch and gripe about our folks. They are a handful and spending so many years away from them made me forget that, but I am still grateful for everything they did. Like you said, it just takes some time to adjust.”

“Exactly. So, are you excited about your party?” Billy smiled and changed the subject to happier things.

“Oh yeah, you have no idea how excited I am. Who did you invite?”

“Just some people I hang out with. Maggie obviously and her brother Shawn and his girlfriend.”

“You don't have to mention Maggie, she's your girlfriend, so I kinda expected her to come. Please tell me other people are coming and I won't be the fifth wheel on couples night.” Teddy looked at him with wide eyes. When he had told her he was throwing a party she had expected just that and not an intimate dinner with two couples.

“Don't worry, I invited some other friends and Gus, Wade and Daryl from work.”

“Gus, Wade and Daryl... such fitting names for mechanics somehow, don't you think.” Teddy smiled. She had met Gus and Wade a couple of years ago for Billy's birthday party, but Daryl she didn't know yet. “Hey, is Daryl the guy that looks like a serial killer according to Mom?”

“Everybody who isn't a member in her country club looks like a serial killer to our mother, Teddy.” Billy laughed. “But yeah. He looks a little mean, maybe. He is a little abrasive, but he's there to help when you need him and that's what counts. Don't think he's gonna come anyway, he is not really the socializing type.”

“Too bad, would have loved to meet him. I like me some mean looking fellas.” Teddy giggled, while Billy rolled his eyes.

“Oh please. I mean I am all for you finally finding someone to settle down with, but I don't think any of my friends would qualify for that position.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Should I be offended here?” Teddy frowned at her brother, thinking he thought she wasn't good enough for his friends.

“No not really, but you're a doctor, Teddy and they are all a bunch of outdoors loving rednecks that go hunting and fishing in their free time. And then they gut and fry their kills before they eat them.”

“Yeah, so? I am a doctor, I've seen worse than a deer being gutted, Billy. Think that would gross me out?”

“You don't get it. Those are country boys, you're a city girl. Those guys like farm girls who know how to shoot and cook up some chicken for dinner. They'll like you as a friend, but in the end, you'll be nothing but a yuppie girl to them and rednecks and yuppie girls don't mix well relationship-wise.” Billy explained nonchalantly.

“Oh okay, so I should cancel my account on Redneckmingle dot com? That what you are saying?” Teddy laughed.

“Ha ha. Here, choose a pizza, I'm starving.” Billy handed her the menu from the take-out place and while she browsed he grabbed to DVD cases and held them up. “And for entertainment we got National Lampoons Christmas Vacation aaaaand True Lies.”

“Awwww, two of my favorites, you rock. This is exactly what I need.”

Shortly after they ordered the pizza and thirty minutes later the twins were munching on pizza and watching Chevy Chase stapling himself to his house while trying to hang all the chains of lights and for the first time in a week she finally felt herself relax. Yes, the week had been stressful and it would take some time to adjust to the new town, the new people and the new job and everything, but it all had a big upside and that was, that she finally had her twin brother back in her life permanently. Together they were strong and would be able to face anything. Now she was looking forward to the party and meeting all the other people in his life and making new friends herself. With her parents in close proximity, God knew she would be needing them to keep her sanity.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Teddy hadn't slept in in forever. She felt gloriously refreshed and well rested when she opened her eyes at eleven am the next morning. She stretched languidly and happily wriggled her toes and fingers and had a big smile on her face when she turned on her side and grabbed her phone to put on some music. Only seconds later “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” played on her phone, which she took with her to the kitchen to fix herself some coffee. She danced around in her underwear a bit while the coffee maker worked its magic. She owned one of those machines that worked with some kind of pad system, so thankfully she only had to wait about 30 seconds before she got her coffee fix. Saving time whenever she could had been one of the most important things in her life while she had still worked at Harborview Medical Center. She had always been in a rush, but now, as soon as she would get into the swing of things here, she would be able to lay back and relax a bit more. The thought made her happy and sad at the same time. She looked down at the tattoo on the inside of her right wrist while she grabbed her coffee mug with a wistful expression on her face. No, not today, she thought and slammed the mug back on the counter and went back into the bedroom to grab a sweater with long sleeves to cover up the tattoo and while she was at it she also put on some yoga pants so she could go down and grab the paper. Then she decided if she was gonna go down anyway she could take her wallet, put on some sneakers and get some breakfast to go with that coffee. Her fridge and her cupboards were still empty except for some granola bars and coffee and she felt like having some nice baked goods to treat herself this morning. When she was fully dressed she grabbed her phone to help her find the bakery. She hadn't been to Jasper very often before moving here a week ago and she had terrible sense of direction and wasn't sure whether to turn left or right once she was in front of her apartment building to get to Deb's Bakery. Thank God for smart phones. It showed her which route to take and she quickly memorized it and left to get her desired breakfast.

####### ####### ####### ###### #######

Saturday morning started on a bad note for Daryl when he wanted to get his coffee maker ready to brew him up some of that heavenly hot and bitter beverage that would kick his body into gear, only to realize that he was out of coffee. He went through every cupboard and even looked in the fridge, which made him realize that he was pretty much out of everything. There was nothing edible in the apartment apart from half a leftover burger and some cold, dried out fries, but to him the no coffee thing was way worse than no food. He'd have to go get himself a coffee-to-go and then drive to Wal Mart and do some grocery shopping. He took a much needed shower first, though, turning the water to ice cold for a moment when he was done washing himself, hoping that it would wake him up a little bit. Dressed in black denim, his Red Wing boots and a light blue jean shirt with the sleeves cut off he left his apartment and got in his truck. He shook his head to the side to get the long bangs out of his eyes before he checked the mirror for oncoming traffic and pulled out of his parking spot while a deep sigh left his body. It was Saturday, the store would be crowded and he hated standing in line for half an hour to pay for his shit. He was sure it couldn't be avoided today, the lines at their local Wal Mart were notorious, especially on the weekends.

A few minutes later he pulled up in front of the bakery, already looking through the large shop window to check out the line situation in there. Thankfully there were only two people waiting from what he was able to see. He walked in and stood behind a woman while that old fuck Henry Miller picked out some cupcakes, not able to decide which ones he wanted.

“Of fucking course...” Daryl mumbled under his breath and got comfortable by shoving his hands into his pants pockets and slumping his shoulders.

“Mornin' Daryl.” Maisy Harper, the daughter of the owner of the bakery, greeted him with a smile while she went past him to serve some customers that had occupied a table close to the window.

“Mornin'.” Daryl greeted her, accompanied by a nod. Suddenly the woman in front of him turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. 'What the fuck is her problem?' Daryl thought and scowled at the stranger. He was sure she wasn't from around here. This was a really small town, everybody knew each other and he sure would have remembered seeing her.

Teddy had turned around when she had heard the girl refer to the person behind her as Daryl. Maybe it was Billy's colleague she didn't know yet, how many Daryl's would there be in the tiny town of Jasper? She studied him for a moment and nodded internally when he scowled darkly at her. 'Yup, looks mean and kind of like a serial killer.'

“Your name is Daryl? Do you work at the auto-repair shop by any chance?” 

Daryl eyed the pretty stranger suspiciously, his frown deepening even more. Who the fuck was she and why did she know where he worked? This couldn't be good, maybe she was some kind of debt collector or was trying to serve him papers or some shit like that. Even though he didn't have any debt and didn't know who would want to sue him, he was still wary of her. A stranger knowing his name and place of work just couldn't be good.

“Maybe. What's it ta you?” he snarled at her, showing his teeth like a mean dog.

“I'm Theodora Robertson,... Billy's sister? He works with a guy called Daryl. Thought that might be you. If not, I am sorry to bother you.” She smiled and let her eyes drift away from his face and did a quick scan of his body, definitely liking what she saw. These country boys around here were built!

“And if that guy is me? Then ya ain't sorry for botherin' me?” he was still snarling, but the expression in his eyes looks like it had softened now that she had introduced herself. She didn't know that Daryl really was relieved that she wasn't after him for some kind of shit that would make his life more difficult.

“Something tells me I'll be sorry either way.” She grinned. The guy smelled like trouble and she was pretty sure that he would get even more... how had Billy called it? Abrasive? Yeah, she was sure the guy would get even more abrasive if she kept talking to him. Too bad she didn't care. She winked at him before she turned around to face the counter again when she had noticed that the customer in front of her had walked past the two of them.

“What the fuck is that s'pposed ta mean?” Daryl stared holes into the back of her head, but she ignored him for the time being, while she placed her order. It gave Daryl time to size her up. She looked like she was about 5'4”, if he took another two steps forward he would be able to rest his chin right on top of her head. She had shiny dark hair that hung in big waves all the way down to her narrow waist that flared out into nicely shaped hips. The tight black leggings she was wearing displayed a firm butt and shapely legs. She looked like she worked out regularly, gotta be a runner or something, because her arms didn't look overly toned. She was a real looker in the face department, he's gotta admit, but she didn't look too much like her brother. Also she had a New York accent while Billy had a southern accent. Wouldn't have pegged them for twins if he wouldn't know. They only looked vaguely alike because of the dark hair and green eyes and high cheekbones.

“I asked ya a question.” Daryl grunted as soon as she was done ordering.

Teddy turned back around to face him and shrugged nonchalantly. “Just means that you seem to have the urge to rip my head off one way or another. Am I right?”

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her again and bit the inside of his cheek while he stared at her for a short moment. “Just 'cause ya know ma name doesn't mean that ya know me, so don't act like ya fuckin' do.” he spat, irritated by not being able to intimidate her with his gruffness.

“Just stating my observation. You asked for it.” She smiled and turned back around to pay for her things and Daryl was even more irritated by the fact that she was right. He had asked her to tell him what she had meant by her previous statement. He had just proven to her that he was a damn fool, but she had perhaps already known that if her brother had talked about him and obviously he had, because she knew his name. Daryl decided to shut the hell up, before more stupid shit came out of his mouth. He was sure she was already laughing at him and he didn't fancy giving her even more reason to do so.

“Have a nice day, Daryl. Maybe I'll see you tonight at the party...” she smiled a genuinely nice smile when she passed him on her way out, but Daryl's suspicious nature didn't let him realize that she was being nice, instead he wondered if she was indeed nice or if she was just fucking with him. He was pissed at himself for even wondering about it, so to drive the point home that he wasn't looking to make friends, he scoffed loudly while he walked up to the counter.

“Pfff, yeah right...” He might not want to make friends, but that didn't keep him from looking over his shoulder at her retreating backside for a couple of seconds, not even sure why he was doing it.

“Just a damn coffee. Ta go.” he placed his order absently. Theodora Robertson. That sure was a fucking mouthful. Of course her rich, stuck up parents had to give her some kind of bullshit fancy name. Who the fuck was called Theodora these days? Stupid name didn't even fit her. Was he supposed to call her Dora, the fucking explorer for short or something? Or Theo, like from that Cosby Show? What a goddamn stupid name. 

'Why the fuck am I even thinking about that? Man, I need this coffee in me, pronto.' he thought when he paid and left the little bakery to get the damn grocery shopping done.

####### ###### ##### ####### ###### #######

By eight-thirty that night Daryl was bored out of his mind and he was growing restless. He was born fidgety and he constantly kept moving around a lot, he was used to the restlessness inside of him, but it had reached a sheer unbearable level in the past two hours. He was starting to piss himself off. At least when Merle was around it never got boring. He had even cleaned the kitchen today to keep himself occupied. He had looked forward to a quiet weekend all by himself, but he'd forgotten how easily he got bored and there was nothing interesting on TV right now, either.

Even though he tried to fight it, he had found his thoughts drifting back to that encounter with Billy's sister at Deb's bakery throughout the day and in turn his thoughts also kept drifting back to that party tonight to which he had an invite. Billy had said it wasn't a big thing, not too many people. He could go over there and shoot the shit with the guys from work for an hour, have some free booze and food, maybe stop by the local watering hole for another hour afterward before he stumbled back home with a nice buzz that would let him drift off right into sleep. Couldn't hurt, right? At least it would be something to do. He grabbed the remote to turn off the TV and got off the couch. He was still fully dressed so he just grabbed his wallet and keys and was out the door within a minute.

Billy lived in a nicer area of the little town, but since Jasper was pretty small, it was just about a 10 minute walk. Daryl planned on getting drunk, so he left his truck at home. He was a strong opponent of drinking and driving, because most of the time it was innocent people that got their lives destroyed or taken and not the drunk drivers. He didn't need to add that to his conscience. He would also feel like a hypocrite if he would get behind the wheel with a buzz on , since he'd been trying to get his brother clean for years so he'd stop fucking up everybody's lives. 

Daryl was glad to see the door to Billy's apartment open, this way he could make a quiet entrance and check out the surroundings and the people that were standing and sitting around the place, but his arrival didn't go by completely unnoticed. His colleague Wade stood right by the door and greeted him with a smile.

“Hey Daryl, thought you weren't gonna show. Would've missed some great food and booze. They got fucking Johnny Walker Blue. That shit costs like 200 bucks a bottle, man and we get it for free.” Wade grinned happily, obviously he'd already had quite a bit of the whiskey. 

“Yo, Daryl. Great to see you made it out!” Billy grinned and slapped his hand down on Daryl's shoulder. “Over there's the bar and all the food is set up in the kitchen. Help yourself to whatever you want and holler if you need anything. Oh wait, you gotta meet the guest of honor. Now where is she hiding out...” Billy scanned the room and started shouting when he spotted his sister. “Yo, Teddy! Get your ass over here!”

Daryl had a strange feeling in his stomach when he spotted the woman he had met this morning and he had no idea what that feeling was supposed to represent. So Teddy was what they called her. Yeah, that kind of fit. It sure as hell beat Dora or Theo or using her whole name. She headed towards them and Daryl saw her smile widen when she seemed to recognize him. It made him fidgety as fuck and he started nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back.

“Oh hey, good to see you again, Daryl. So I was right, you are THAT Daryl.” Teddy smiled broadly at him. She seemed genuine, but Daryl was still suspicious.

“You guys met? When?” Billy frowned in confusion and when Teddy turned her attention to her brother Daryl took the opportunity to eye her inconspicuously. She had traded her leggings in for skin tight dark blue denim and black knee high leather boots with heels so high that he and Teddy were almost on eye level. She wore a loose white T-shirt with a deep v-neck that plunged down to the valley between her modest-sized breasts. A black lace bra peeked out of that neckline, preventing any accidental indecencies from happening. 'Too bad.' Daryl thought, before he shook himself out of it.

“Oh I met him this morning while getting breakfast. The girl at the bakery called him Daryl and I thought, hey how many Daryls are gonna be running around in this town, so I asked if he worked with you. He didn't give me a concrete answer, though.”

“Okay, guess we won't have to make introductions then. Like I said, bar is over there, food is in the kitchen, feel right at home, dude.” Billy smiled before he slung his arm around Teddy's shoulders and led her away, leaving Daryl standing awkwardly next to Wade. He decided to get some food first to give his stomach something to work with before he put alcohol in his system, so he made his way through the people towards the kitchen, nodding a greeting to people he knew.

“Abrasive was right. What's his deal?” Teddy asked her brother when they were out of earshot.

“He is actually a good guy, the tough act is just that, an act. He doesn't talk much about himself, not at all now that I think about it. Rumors around town are that his folks neglected and abused him and his brother when they were kids. Mother burned the house down by smoking in bed or something like that. Died in the fire and the father is an alcoholic. You work with kids, you know what that kind of life does to a person in the long run. He is not very trusting of people, I guess, but like I said, he is there when you need him. Don't let him get to you, that's just the way he is. I don't think he even means anything bad by doing it.” Billy tried his best to explain what he knew about Daryl, which wasn't all that much.

“Right,... well trust me, I'm not easily intimidated, you know that. I just hate that Mommy Dearest was kinda right. He does look mean, but in a really hot way.” Teddy grinned and Billy groaned.

“Oh please, don't do that to me. Don't wanna hear it. Like I said, these rednecks like farm girls. Like this one...” Billy grinned and placed a kiss on the cheek of Maggie Greene, his girlfriend of two years. 

“I don't blame them, she is pretty kickass.” Teddy smiled at Maggie with a wink. She loved Maggie. She was sweet, caring, fun, uncomplicated and beautiful. Her brother had done good and Teddy hoped that they would stay together forever.

##### ####### ####### ######## #######

Daryl looked over the huge assortment of food and tried to choose something. There were burgers, hot dogs, steaks, sandwiches, all kinds of salads and breads, even cake for dessert. He frowned when he saw something he wasn't able to identify. He picked up one of the lumpy things that was slightly bigger than the palm of his hand and covered in cheese. Mini-pizza? Nah, too thick. He held it up to his nose and smelled it. It smelled fucking delicious. He still held it up to his face when Teddy walked in and smiled at his confused expression. It was adorable.

Daryl blushed and cleared his throat before he waved the food in his hand around. “The hell is this?”

“Doesn't have a name. Maybe I should come up with one. I make pizza dough and throw in some garlic powder and basil and then I take a handful of dough, flatten it and throw a bunch of smoked bacon and gouda on top and let it bake in the oven. Try it, it's good.”

It did smell delicious, so he took a bite. 'Damn, that stuff really is good.' he thought while he chewed slowly.

“You made this?” he asked and took another bite while she nodded. He didn't let her know that he liked it, though, he just gave another one of his nods and started to fill up his plate with steak and potato salad and another one of those things Teddy had made. She just grabbed a hot dog and put some slaw on it before she left the kitchen again sending him another smile on her way out, which he only registered out of the corner of his eye, because he tried to ignore her. When she was gone he sat down on one of the stools by the breakfast bar and ate by himself before going back out to the living room to get himself a drink.

The party wasn't bad and Daryl found himself enjoying the company, even though he'd never admit it out loud. He drank and talked with his colleagues and every once in a while he would let his eyes scan the crowd until he spotted Teddy, letting his gaze linger for a second before he quickly turned his attention back on Wade and Gus. He had no idea why he kept doing it and tried not to, but five minutes later he found find himself letting his eyes wander again. He stayed longer than the one hour he had initially wanted to stay, the food was good, the drinks were awesome and the atmosphere in general was laid back and happy. He had no idea how it turned to shit so quickly. Suddenly there was aggressive shouting and the sounds of furniture being shoved around by a body colliding with it. Two of the guests were very drunk and were getting into it. Daryl knew one of them from school and he and Gus rushed over to break them up, just in time to hear glass shattering. 

“Come on, Willie, stop. Break it up you two.” Daryl stepped between the fighting men and pushed Willie away from his opponent. 

“He fucking started it!” Willie yelled and pushed against Daryl, trying to get a punch in.

“Yeah and I'm fuckin' endin' it. Get outta here, man. Go home and sleep it off.” Daryl didn't know what was happening, but suddenly he felt a sharp burning pain slicing through his left shoulder and he pulled away from Willie, startled by the sudden sensation, while the crowd around them gasped in shock. Gus charged at John, the other guy in the fight and knocked him to the ground and the broken glass bottle out of his hand.

“He's bleeding. Get Teddy. He cut him bad, he needs a doctor.” Daryl was a little dazed while he heard the voices around him. He felt the burning throb in his shoulder and something running down his back. He turned his head, but he couldn't see shit. Suddenly two warm hands softly gripped his arm and turned him around so the person could check out his back, then he was turned back around to face that person and he recognized Teddy.

“You need stitches. I don't have anything here, so I'll take you to my office, okay?” Teddy didn't wait for his consent before she pulled him behind her while she left the apartment. Thank God she didn't have anything to drink. Daryl was still confused and didn't put up a fight. Not at first, but when he was seated in the passenger seat of her car he finally got his voice and senses back.

“I'm fine. Don't need no damn doctor.” he grumbled and winced when he leaned back and his shoulder came in contact with the seat.

“You do, that cut is pretty big and deep.”

“I've had worse. Ain't got no insurance anyway. Jus' take me to the bar or whatever.”

Teddy stopped the car a couple of minutes later. She tried to help him out, but he shook her off. He recognized the building and knew that's where her father worked. Great, he didn't need that stuck-up bastard to stitch him up.

“I told ya, don't got insurance. Can't pay for shit!”

“Don't worry about that, come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. In passing Daryl looked at the sign next to the door, then he stopped short and looked again. There at the bottom of the sign was her name. She was a freaking doctor? He ain't ever seen a doctor like her.

“You're a one of 'em damn quacks?” he looked at her with a deep frown.

“Yup, in the flesh. Now come on, you're bleeding quite a bit.” she tugged on his hand again and pulled him inside the building and into one of the exam rooms. “Take off your shirt, please.” she told him while she quickly put her hair up. Daryl unbuttoned his shirt and she carefully helped him out of the now blood soaked material. Her eyes fell on the numerous scars on his back and she thought back to what Billy had told her. Abuse was right and probably not powerful enough of a word to describe what Daryl must have been through. Unfortunately she had seen these marks on children before and she was sure she would see them again in the future. People could be monsters. 

“I am not asking to offend you or anything, but I don't know your medical history and I just need to know because of the I'm gonna use. Are you allergic to anything and are you and addict?”

“Ain't no fucking addict, man!” he snarled. He was offended, he hated being compared to his brother and right now he felt like that was what she was doing.

“Alright. How much did you have to drink? And what about the allergies?” 

“A beer and some whiskey. Ain't even buzzed. No allergies neither.” Daryl replied and Teddy went to work and got out everything she would need to treat him. Then she put on her gloves and carefully cleaned the wound and the surrounding area. “Sorry,...” she said gently when Daryl winced and flinched a little, because it burned like a motherfucker. “I'll numb you now for the stitches. Liiiittle pinch...”

Daryl didn't even feel the injection, but soon after he relaxed when the throbbing burn in his shoulder started to dull. Teddy waited a moment longer before she pushed the needle and thread through his skin and closed up his cut.

“I'm real sorry that you got hurt. It's always the ones that want to help that get caught in the crossfire.” Teddy said while she worked. She really was sorry. It was always the people that had already been through enough and still were good enough that they wanted to help others that get hit over and over again.

“Yer brother never told me you was a doctor.” Daryl said quietly instead of acknowledging her saying she was sorry. Teddy laughed a little, not surprised her brother hadn't talked about it to his colleagues.

“He is not exactly fond of my job.”

“Why? Ain't this some kind of noble profession or shit like that? Helpin' folks?”

“In a way, sure. It's a long story. Let's just say that he isn't too fond of me following in my father's footsteps.”

“Why you sound like a damn New Yorker and yer brother don't?”

“Another long story, I guess. I lived there a long time. Guess I picked up that accent just like Billy picked up the southern twang over the years.”

“Why didn't ya live with yer family? Haven't they been here for like over ten years or something?”

“They've been here for 16 years, yeah. Why I didn't live with them is another long story. Guess Billy doesn't talk too much about his life either, does he?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He said you don't talk much about yourself. Looks like you're not the only one.”

“What the fuck are the two of ya doin' talking bout me? Ma life ain't none of yer damn business!” Daryl got defensive, because he thought his suspicions had been right. Billy must have told her about him being some kind of redneck trailer trash.

“Hey, hold still, I got a damn needle in your skin, Daryl! I don't wanna hurt you even more. Relax, my brother and I talk. When he tells me about the people he works with I ask questions. It's just a normal conversation, nothing more and nothing less. You asked questions just now, didn't you? That's the same thing. You don't see me jumping down your throat, are you?” She kept her voice calm, it didn't take much effort, because she wasn't offended by his outburst. She had worked with a lot of different people over the years and she had a good sense of how to handle them. Yelling back at him wouldn't help things along, he would just feel justified in not trusting her.

Daryl had to admit that she had a point, but he only admitted it to himself and settled back down. He had a hard time telling himself that not everybody was out to fuck him over, it was a process that had to be repeated day by day, still it didn't get any easier.

“Sorry.” he mumbled quietly, so quietly that she barely even heard him and therefore wasn't entirely sure that he had even really said it.

“There, all done. Keep the wound and the bandages dry. Have your girlfriend or wife or whoever can do these things for you change the dressing for you regularly. I will give you some antibiotics to prevent an infection. Do you have ibuprofen at home?” he shook his head and she went through the stash they keep in the offices and filled two bottles for him with ibuprofen and antibiotics and handed them to him. Then she grabbed her purse and got out a card and a pen and scribbled down something. “Here, it's my personal cell number, the stitches have to come out in about 10-14 days. I can do that for you, don't worry about insurance, I won't charge you for it. Just call me and we'll set up an appointment after hours. Should you get a fever, unusual pain or tear open the stitches, call me right away, got it? No false pride, just call. Please.”

Daryl nodded, although he was already deciding that he would get those stitches out by himself somehow. He didn't want to be the charity project of the month any more than he'd already been. “Fine.”

“Good. I'm afraid I don't have a shirt laying around. Do you wanna put this bloody mess back on or stay topless for the ride home?” Teddy asked while she eyed his blood-stained shirt.

“I'll wear the shirt.” There was no way he was walking around topless for the whole town to see.

“Okay. Lift your arm a little, I'll help you.” She wanted to put the shirt on him, but Daryl ripped it out of her hand.

“I got it. Don't need no help.”

“Suit yourself. You probably shouldn't work for a couple of days.”

“That ain't an option.”

“I could write you a note.”

“Ain't needin' yer damn note. I'm fine.” he grumbled exasperated while he put on his shirt and quickly buttoned it, not feeling the pain of the wound yet because of the local anesthetic Teddy had shot him up with.

“Damn, you are just like my brother. Fine, just watch it, okay? Take it easy. Now come on, I'll take you home.” 

Daryl and Teddy walked back out after she had killed the lights and she quickly locked up. They sat in her car and Daryl gave her directions to his place. He wished he had thought about letting her drop him off a block away from his apartment building. He was ashamed for the shoddy old building he lived in. She was a doctor, she sure had a nice, quiet house in a great neighborhood. She didn't have to put up with drunk neighbors, broken windows and rusty pipes. 

They stopped and if she was horrified by the condition of his building, she didn't show it.

“Feel better, Daryl. I'm sorry about what happened. It was nice of you to come, though. I hope apart from getting cut up the evening was enjoyable.”

“It was alright.” He shrugged and fumbled with his own fingers in his lap while he looked down.

“Good. Please don't hesitate to call if something's off with that wound.” she looked at him imploringly, while he just looked up shyly, his eyes barely visible from the bangs hanging in his face and gave one of his trademark nods.

“See ya. And thanks...” he mumbled before he got out of the car.

“Bye, Daryl.” 

He didn't say anything else, but walked straight up to the door of his building and dug through his pocket for his keys. Teddy waited until he was inside before she left. She knew he wouldn't call, but she hoped against all odds, that he would.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Yeah, hi Billy. This is your sister. Again. You know I hate repeating myself, why do you make me do it? So here we go: Call me when you get this!!!” Teddy hung up forcefully and sighed deeply. She had been trying to get a hold of her brother for two hours and it was driving her nuts. Knowing him he probably left his phone at home. She gave up for now and called in her next patient. 8-year old Caleb Henderson had a rash all over his body. Teddy went through her usual list of questions. Her mentor had had a policy of “poke the kid with 12 needles for an allergy test first, ask questions later”, but Teddy had chosen not to adapt that policy. A lot of cases had been solved by asking simple questions, like if there had been any dietary changes or a change in laundry detergent or hygiene products or if the family had adopted a new pet, etc. and she had been able to spare the kids the uncomfortable procedure. When she asked Caleb's mom about any new pets Caleb's panicked eyes shot up to his mother and Teddy was pretty sure she had hit the jackpot. Yes, they had taken in a stray cat two days ago. 

“Is there any possibility for Caleb to have a sleep-over at his grandparents or a friends house for the weekend?” Teddy asked Mrs. Henderson who was rubbing her son's back comfortingly.

“Yes, he can stay with his grandparents. Do you think he is allergic to the cat?”

“I think so. It could be a coincidence, but in most cases it's not. If you insist I can test it right now.” Teddy offered, but the mother was shaking her head.

“No, we'll try it the other way first. Thank you, Dr. Robertson.”

“Momma I don't want you to send Scratchy away. He's my best friend.” The little boy had tears in his eyes and his lip quivered while he looked up at his mother with big sad eyes. Teddy's heart broke for him, for kids losing a pet is a huge drama, but with a rash this bad, there was no other way than to find a new home for Scratchy.

“I'm sorry, Caleb, but if he is making you sick, we can't keep him.” Caleb's tears started to fall and Teddy took a deep breath and forced herself back into professional mode and addressed the mother. 

“If is Scratchy who is causing it, the symptoms should go away pretty quickly when he is at his grandparents. If the rash isn't any better by Monday come and see me again, okay?” Teddy reached into the pocket of her lab coat and handed Caleb a lollipop. Cliche? Yes. But did it work? Most of the time, yes. Today it didn't manage to dry any tears, though and Teddy understood perfectly. 

The phone finally rang at the same time as she closed the door behind her latest patients. She rushed over to her desk and picked up while she sat down in her leather chair.

“Finally, what took you so long?” she sighed, knowing it was Billy from the caller ID.

“Well, in case you don't know, I have to work for a living, too and can't just stop what I am doing just to answer a call. That's what our lunch break is for. Now where's the fire?”

“I wanted to know what you wanted me to bring to dinner tonight.” Teddy replied and looked through the file of her next patient. She noticed the silence on the other end and was just about to ask if he was still there, when his incredulous-sounding voice reached her ear.

“THAT'S why you fucking called me five times??? Are you kidding?”

“Well I need to know!”

“You know what Teddy? As much as you hate the way our mother behaves most of the time, you are actually a lot like her.” Billy said with a smug grin. Teddy might not have been able to see it, but she heard it in his voice clear as day. Her mouth fell open and she inhaled sharply.

“You did not just compare me to our mother!!!” Then she stopped and realization hit her. “Oh my God you're right. It's the egg salad sandwich all over again. Oh hell, you see what she does to me? Two weeks living close to her and she's already turning me into a younger version of herself. I am just 29 years old, I am too young to be Bernadette Robertson. Help me!”

“Relax, you're not nearly as bad as her.” Billy was laughing his ass off, he knew comparing her to her mother always got her riled up and he loved doing that.

“Hey, um... how's Daryl doing? Is his shoulder okay?” Teddy asked as casually as possible, but she wasn't fooling her brother.

“Do you realize that you have asked me that every single day this week? Are you sure you called because you wanted to know what to bring tonight?”

“I am the one who stitched him up and I doubt he will come in for a check-up anytime soon, so this is my way of checking up on his injury. I'm a doctor, it's what I do.” Teddy argued, not liking the tone of voice Billy was using, because it implied that he was wearing a big, fat grin on his face right now.

“Oh right, calling co-workers of your patients to ask how they are doing every day, you do that with all your patients? You gotta be racking up quite the phone bill, Dad's gotta be so proud.”

“Shut up, William. So?”

“So?”

“How is he doing today?” Teddy asked exasperated at her brother stalling to answer.

“I'm afraid I am not at liberty to disclose this kind of information. You as a physician should know that.” Billy grinned, which turned into a full out laugh when he heard his sister groan in frustration.

“You're an ass.”

“But you love me anyway.”

“You're my twin brother. I kinda have to.”

“Be there at eight and bring ice cream. Bye Bernie!” he used his mother's nickname on purpose, getting one last shot in at his sister before he hung up.

“Idiot!” she grumbled, but the line was already dead. She sighed and figured that Daryl had to be doing okay. Billy would have told her if something was going badly with the healing process. But then again, Daryl surely wouldn't let anyone know if anything was going badly and he had an infection. She literally shook her head to get her thoughts to shift away from the rude redneck. She had a job to do, other people needed her. Daryl was old enough to look after himself. She was not responsible for him causing himself even more harm by disregarding her advice. She turned her focus back to the next patient, a 9-month old baby with diarrhea. The diarrhea part sure isn't very pleasant, but she loved being able to work with babies, especially the regular check-ups for the little ones between the age of 0-2 were the highlights of her days.

She finished up at 5 pm and went to her father's office to say bye. Gerald Robertson asked her to come in and have a seat and Teddy sighed internally. Their parents had a thing for keeping them longer than necessary all the time, yet the twins never got used to it.

“So, Theodora, how was your second week?” he asked politely after he had finished noting something down in one of the files on his desk.

“Better than the first. It's still a little bumpy, but I think I am getting the hang of things now.”

“That's the impression I got as well. You seem more at ease, trust me by the end of next week you'll feel like you've worked here forever. The patients like you, I hear everyday what a lovely daughter I have.”

“Well what am I supposed to do, yell at them?” she laughed while she blushed a little.

“People can be rude without yelling, Theodora. You have a good attitude and the patients appreciate that. I am very satisfied and proud of the work you are doing. I am happy to have you here, my little girl.” Gerald smiled proudly at his daughter and chuckled when she blushed even harder.

“Stop, daddy. You are making my head explode if you keep talking like that. Thank you for having me. I know I am not always the easiest daughter to have.”

“You kids are a handful, always have been, but we love you more than we love ourselves, never forget that. That's why we do some of the things we do, because we have your best interests at heart, even though you might not agree with that very often.”

Teddy just nodded. She didn't want to go any further with the conversation, they had had that convo several times over the years and it always ended the same way and that wasn't very positive. Billy and Teddy loved their parents dearly and vice versa, but they've had their ups and downs with each other. Maybe even more downs than ups and things could get shitty pretty quickly.

“Well, I have to go, daddy. I am meeting Billy and Maggie tonight.” Teddy slung her handback over her shoulder and got up from the chair in front of her father's desk.

“Alright. Have fun. I'll see you soon. And call your mother, before she decides to call you.” he winked at her with the tiniest of smiles, making his daughter chuckle on her way out.

“Will do. Bye.”

Teddy finally went home and decided to take an hour and relax in the tub. Sitting on her sofa and staring at all the boxes that still hadn't been unpacked around her living room would just drive her crazy. The furniture she had ordered was on back-order and instead of arriving this week, it would take until the end of next week for them to be delivered. So her living room and her office and part of her bedroom were still a mess. At least the bathroom and the kitchen were done and fully stocked by now. She put on some music and filled the tub with heavenly hot water, sighing blissfully when she let her naked body sink into it. She leaned back and the water started to cover her shoulders and her mind instantly went back to Daryl.

'Hope he at least kept the wound dry.' she thought before she frowned at herself. She was doing it again, worrying when it wasn't her place to worry. She shook herself out of it and focused on the music instead, softly humming along with it until the beeping noise on her phone alerted her that she had to get out and get ready to go and buy ice cream before she went over to Billy's.

###### ####### ######### ####### ########

Teddy was in for a big surprise when she arrived for dinner with Billy and Maggie. She was gaping at her brother, too stunned for words. His words still echoing in her head.

“Teddy, meet George Hanson. I went to school with him. He's a lawyer now and his parents are close with our folks. He's going to join us for dinner.”

Teddy was not amused. This had blind date written all over it. She hated being set up. If she wanted a guy she was perfectly able to get one herself. She really hadn't thought that Billy would ever do something like this to her. Her mother had to have something to do with this.

“Nice to meet you, George. How nice of you to join us.” Teddy plastered a fake smile on her face and shook the guy's hand. “Let me just put this ice cream in the freezer. Billy, why don't you show me?” she grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him into the kitchen with her.

“What the fuck is this? This is mom's doing, isn't it? What is she blackmailing you with?” Teddy whispered harshly, her green eyes were glinting dangerously.

“Look, don't be mad, okay? I don't know what happened. Mom called and she just kept talking and talking and talking and I stopped listening and just said yes and amen to everything she said and before I knew what was happening I let her talk me into inviting him. Maggie was mad as fuck, too. Said you'd go ballistic and you have every right to. Just try to have a nice evening okay? He is a nice guy. A little on the boring side maybe, but he's not going to hit on you or anything, I'm sure. Let's just have dinner and I promise I will never ever do this again. Okay?”

“Fine, I'll play nice, but I swear if you do anything like this again I will have your balls on a platter for Maggie to do with whatever she wants to.” Teddy couldn't be really mad at her brother. She knew going up against their mother and coming out the winner was damn near impossible. 

“Deal. Sorry Teddy.” Billy apologized.

“You owe me and I am cashing that favor in right now.” Teddy said while she put the ice cream container in the freezer.

“Alright. What is it?” Billy asked curiously.

“Daryl's shoulder?” Teddy asked and Billy rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“Christ, what is it with your obsession with Dixon? You seriously wanna tell me you're this way with every patient? Just leave him be, Teddy.” This time Billy was the one who was speaking in aggressive whispers. His spider sense was tingling and he didn't like it one bit. His sister showed too much interest in Daryl for his liking. That guy was not the man for her and from what he knew about him, he wouldn't even be interested and his sister would end up moping and he'd have to listen to it and then face the guy at work every day.

“Maybe I am that way with all my patients, Billy. You wouldn't know though, because you don't give a shit about my job. Sorry that I don't want the guy to go septic, just because he is just as much of a stubborn fuck as you are.”

“Fuck off, Teddy. Why don't you go running to Daddy and ask him to go and buy Daryl for you? He's bought everything else for you, so why not him, too.” Billy spat bitterly.

“You are such an asshole, Billy. It always comes back down to that, doesn't it? It wasn't my fault that they separated us back then. You were the one who didn't want to go to college in the first place. What was he supposed to do? Buy a damn auto-shop for you just to even out paying for med school?”

Billy sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes hard with his fingertips. Then he grabbed Teddy and pulled her into a hard hug. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. They are just so goddamn annoying with all their getting involved in everybody's business. Had a shitty day at work and just lost my cool with Mom's meddling. Just forget it, okay?”

“Fine. Just promise me that we won't let them separate us again, okay? I get the impression that that's what they are doing, albeit unconsciously maybe.” Teddy said and hugged him back.

“Guess they are scared of history repeating itself. Even after all these years.”

“Probably. Now come on, let's get out there and get this evening over with.”

Billy laughed and released Teddy. “Oh man, prepare to be bored.”

####### ####### ####### ####### ####### ######

They had been bored beyond belief. George had been nice, but also quite talkative. He kept going on and on about his job and used a whole lot of big words from the legal world and half the time they didn't even know what the hell he was even talking about. They just kept listening and nodding politely with little smiles, while they secretly shot little glances at each other and made hand gestures for shooting or hanging themselves. At the end of the night George offered to walk Teddy home. She accepted, because she didn't like running around in the dark by herself and she saw the glances Maggie and Billy shared and how they kept on whispering towards the end of dessert. They wanted to jump each others bones and Teddy wouldn't keep them from doing so. 

She left with the lawyer, but she declined hooking her arm around his elbow, that would just be taking it a step too far and she didn't want to give him the wrong idea. He kept talking and talking and Teddy just zoned out and worked on auto-pilot, just smiling and nodding, that's why at first she didn't even notice that he wasn't leading her straight home. She was confused when she found herself passing some of the little stores in the heart of Jasper. Music and loud voices from the bar across the street had pulled her from her thoughts and she was thankful for that. The sneaky bastard might be boring, but he was still a guy who was trying to prolong this “wonderful” date. She looked at George and put the fake smile back on her face.

“Nice night for a walk, but I should really get back home now. It was a really long day.”

George gently touched her back and nodded with a smile. “Of course, far be it from me to keep you up longer than usual. This way.”

They turned into another street and Teddy was relieved to know that it was the way to her apartment building and she was closer to ending this night. Unbeknownst to them their little exchange had a witness.

'She certainly ain't wastin' any time ta get her pretty ass laid.' Daryl thought darkly and chugged back the rest of his beer as he watched Merle's lawyer put his hands on his doctor. They didn't see him, he was hidden in the crowd of smokers outside the old dive bar. 'Figures she'd get herself a fancy lawyer. Bet that guy don't know nothin' bout handlin' a woman right. Might know how to work the law, but sure don't know how ta work her.' Daryl thought drunkenly. 

“Figures.” he spat and shook his head before he flicked his cigarette to the ground and headed back inside.

###### ####### ####### ######## #######

Another week passed and Daryl had grown more uncomfortable with every day. The stitches had to come out, they were itching and scratching something awful. His attempts to rip them out by himself had proved to be unsuccessful. He just couldn't reach and his buddy Jason had flat out refused to pull them out for him, telling him he didn't have scissors small enough to cut those things without cutting Daryl all over again.

It was seven pm on a Friday night and Daryl leaned against his kitchen counter, the phone sitting on it next to his right hip while he fiddled with the card Teddy had given him. He was torn between wanting to call and not wanting to call. It was Friday night, she sure had plans with her new boyfriend. At the same time he felt a little bit of satisfaction of being able to at least delay those plans for a little while. Hanson was a shitty lawyer anyway, he deserved to wait a little. It took ten more minutes of debating before he finally picked up the phone and punched Teddy's cell phone number with his thumb on the keypad of his phone. It rang and rang and rang. He was just about to hang up, when he heard her breathless voice.

“Hello?”

He frowned. Had he interrupted their fucking? Not like the lawyer wouldn't deserve that. “Uhm,... ya said I should call,... 'cause of the stitches?” He rolled his eyes at himself and his tongue-tied nature when it came to these things. Now he'd probably have to explain who he was, because she sure as hell wouldn't remember him.

“Daryl?”he heard the surprise in her voice. She even sounded glad. He was surprised that she had even been able to guess who was calling her.

“Yeah.”

“Oh good, I'm glad you called. Want to get rid of those stitches?” 

“Yeah.”

“Okay, do you wanna do it right now? I'm free.”

“Yeah.” He said for the third time in a row and felt incredibly retarded for doing so. He just didn't now what else to say.

“I live at 2311 Ridgewood Road. First floor, apartment 5.”

“'kay. I'll be there in five.” he said and then just hung up without saying bye.” He hoped her saying that she was free meant, that she was alone and that her boyfriend wasn't gonna be there. That would be too damn awkward. He threw the phone back on the counter and shoved her card back in his pants pocket. He grabbed a new pack of smokes and his keys and left.

###### ####### ######## ####### #######

“Hey, come on in.” Teddy smiled and stepped aside so he could walk past her into her apartment. 

Daryl just looked at her a little warily, not making eye contact and made his way towards the room she was pointing at. He looked around. It wasn't as luxurious or big as he had expected, but he still felt intimidated being here. He stopped short when he reached the doorway that lead to the living room and frowned. It was pure chaos in there. Huge pieces of cardboard and packaging paper were covering the floor. He wasn't even able to properly see the floor. Everything was covered by the paper, the cardboard, baggies full of screws and nails and pieces of wood and glass that had to be assembled into whatever piece of furniture it was supposed to be. That put him at ease at least a little bit. His place was tidier than hers was right now.

“Yeah, sorry about that mess. I finally got my damn furniture delivered. Took them forever. It said 24-hour delivery and it turned into 14 times as much. Just follow me, step where I step.” She led the way through the chaos towards the kitchen and Daryl gingerly followed her steps, very careful not to put his feet on anything she would need to assemble her furniture. “Have a seat, Daryl. Can I offer you a drink?”

He shook his head and sat down at the kitchen table, his fingers immediately tapping nervously on the top it.

“I'll go get my kit, I'll be right back.” she told him and Daryl nodded. At least she seemed to be alone. The thought now made him frown. What kind of boyfriend was that stupid lawyer anyway if he left her to do the assembly all by herself? Clearly she was in way over her head by the looks of it.

“Here we go. Shirt off, please.” She smiled and placed her bag next to him on the table and took some gloves, tweezers and a pair of scissors out. Daryl unbuttoned his black shirt and shrugged it off while she put on the gloves and gently touched the area around his now healed up wound. “This looks very good. Did you change the dressing regularly?”

“Nah. Couldn't reach. Fell off after a couple of days.” he answered and kept his head down to watch his own hands. He felt weird whenever he looked at her.

Teddy had to fight a sigh and bite her tongue to keep from asking him why in the world he hadn't called sooner. She knew why he hadn't called. He didn't want her help. He only accepted it now because it was absolutely necessary and he probably hadn't been able to find anyone else to remove the stitches. “I'll start now. It might pinch a little here and there.”

“Ain't the first time I had stitches. Just do it.” he snarled and Teddy almost groaned in frustration at his behavior. Yes, she'd had patients like him before, she was used to it, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She started snipping the fine thread and pulled it out carefully with the tweezers. She was on the fourth one, when Daryl, for whatever reason, couldn't hold it in anymore.

“He yer boyfriend now or somethin'?”

Teddy looked up at the back of his head with a confused frown on her face. “Is who my boyfriend?”

“Hanson. That lawyer.”

Teddy had to stop herself from cutting for a moment because she had to laugh out loud. “Oh gosh no. No. No. No, no, no, no, no. God no. Why would you even think that?”

“Saw ya the other night. Looked pretty handsy ta me.”

“On his part maybe, surely not on mine. My parents tried to set me up with him.”

“And ya ain't interested?”

“Nope. Nice guy, but not my type. All he talked about was his job, I almost fell asleep during dinner. I was so bored I zoned out and didn't even realize he wasn't taking me home straight away. Did we walk past you? I didn't even notice that if we did.”

“Was at the bar. Just saw y'all from 'cross the street.”

“Ah. Yeah, the noise from the bar made me snap back to reality and realize where I was. Made him take me home then.”

“He try ta kiss ya or somethin'?” The question slipped out before Daryl was able to shut his mouth. He surprised himself with that one.

Teddy stared at his head with an amused expression before she went back to pulling out the threads. What a guy. He didn't like talking about himself, but he sure liked asking questions about others. Maybe he liked knowing more about other people. Maybe it gave him a sense of security while dealing with them if he was able to figure them out better.

“No, he didn't. I think he got the hint when I wouldn't even loop arms with him.”

“Didn't look like he got no hint from the way he touched ya. Fucked up that he didn't take ya straight home neither when that's what ya wanted.” Daryl grumbled. He wasn't Casanova by any standard, but he knew that disrespecting the lady's wishes was a no go. Pfff and that guy was supposed to be smart.

“I know, right? That didn't earn him any brownie points at all.” She pulled out the last bit of thread that was stuck in his skin and put her tools on the table. “And you are as good as new. Just a small red line left and that will fade in the coming weeks.”

“Wouldn't make a difference if it didn't. Already a mess.” Daryl mumbled bitterly and grabbed for his shirt.

“Believe it or not, but I've seen even worse.” Teddy told him, shuddering internally when she remembered the badly injured little boy.

Daryl's head whipped around and he looked at her with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. “Really? Worse?”

“Yes, back in Seattle. 11-year old boy. A lot of scars much like yours from a belt buckle and from wooden sticks from a tree in the backyard. They used him as an ashtray, too. Put out their cigarettes on his skin, all over his body. When he came in they had beaten him to a pulp. Broken ribs, broken arm, fractured jaw... it was horrible. The worst I've ever seen.”

Daryl nodded, thinking that compared to that little boy, he'd been lucky. “Sucks. Did he have ta go back?”

“No, his parents were arrested and have to spend a couple of years in jail. He got placed with another family that ended up adopting him. He survived, but what he went through will never go away. It will be a lifelong struggle,... but I guess you know that even better than me.”

Daryl looked up at her through his bangs and chewed on his bottom lip while he nodded. He had finished buttoning his shirt and got up from the chair, intent on leaving, but when he was faced with the chaos in her living room once more, he hesitated and looked around.

“Ya gonna set all this up just by yerself?” he asked and motioned to the pieces of wood on the floor.

“Yes. I've done it many times before, I can do it. Well usually I can do it. This one right here is a little bitch though. It's a set that consists of five shelves and cupboards and instead of putting all the pieces of one shelf in one single box they mixed it up and put stuff from shelf number 1 in one box with stuff from shelves number 2 and 5, you know. I have to open every frigging box just to put together one of the five pieces.” Teddy explained the whole mess that was littering her living room.

Daryl once again nodded while he looked around some more. “I could help...” he finally offered, looking back at her shyly.

“Really? That would be awesome, but I don't wanna keep you from anything.” Teddy's smile lit up her whole face and for some reason it made Daryl blush, so he quickly looked away again.

“Ain't got no plans tonight. Ya helped me out, only fair to return the favor.”

“Okay, just so you know, I really wasn't expecting anything in return, so you really don't have to feel obligated to do this.” Teddy wanted to make it perfectly clear that she hadn't planned this in any way. She had asked her brother to help, but he was on a little weekend trip with Maggie.

“It's fine. Ain't gonna leave ya in a lurch. C'mon, show me what it's s'pposed to look like when it's finished.”

Teddy smiled to herself while she crouched down on the floor and looked for the instructions. She sure hadn't expected the day to turn out like this, but she was pleasantly surprised and happy that it had. Seems like all that hoping that he would call she had done had paid off for once. She tried telling herself that she really just had been worried about her patient, but deep deep down she knew the giddiness she felt over Daryl being in her apartment told another story. She was pretty sure she would very soon find herself in big trouble, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to keep it from happening one way or another. The only thing she could do was try to play it cool and just deal with it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Can ya hold this? It ain't too heavy for ya?” Daryl was a little nervous that she'd hurt herself if she dropped the heavy shelf that was supposed to . It was as wide as Teddy was tall and she'd have to hold it up by herself for the most part while he put the screws in to hang it on the wall. She had already scratched up her arm to the point of drawing blood when a bookshelf had slipped out of her grasp while she had tried to turn it in order to attach the back and the sharp corner had dug itself into her skin. Daryl had been a little impressed when she had just shrugged it off and had kept going instead of complaining about it. 

“I can hold it for a minute. We got the cordless screwdriver, so it shouldn't even take a minute. It won't be a problem.” Teddy assured him.

“Alright, but the moment ya can't hold it no more, ya tell me, got it?”

“Yes, sir.” She grinned, liking that he cared enough to worry about her like that in that moment.

“'Kay, on three. One, two, three.” Daryl helped her lift the thing and as soon as it was in place he quickly put in the first screw, then went around her to the other side and put in the second one. “Alright, let go.”

Teddy slowly removed her hands and handed him the remaining two screws for the bottom of the shelf. “Nice. Looks good.” she smiled and wiped a bit of dust off the shelf. 

“Yeah. Only one more ta go and then ya can unpack these damn moving boxes.” Daryl said while he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He kept bumping into the boxes containing her belongings, that were standing all around the living room and he feared he might break something sooner or later if he kept knocking them over.

“That's right. Finally. Three weeks of living out of cardboard boxes is more than enough.” Teddy agreed and smiled at him. During their time setting up her stuff together Daryl's demeanor had changed a little bit. His voice wasn't as gruff anymore and he'd snapped at her a little less and his features were a teeny tiny bit more relaxed, but he barely ever looked directly at her. Still, it was an infinitesimal amount of progress and any kind of progress was good. While she looked at him she caught sight of the wall clock in the kitchen. They had been at it for over two hours. “Daryl, have you eaten before you came here?”

He just shook his head and Teddy sighed. “Me neither and I'm getting lightheaded. Wanna order a pizza or something? I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook. Wouldn't be doing you any favors.”

“'Kay...” he shrugged with a frown. Why would she say she wasn't a good cook? She'd made these lumpy bacon-cheese things for the party and those had been delicious. Maybe she didn't wanna cook for him, he thought dejectedly. “Ya made those things...” he said, because he was a sucker for torture and wanted to hear her say that she didn't wanna make anything for him. The rational part of his brain told him he was being incredibly stupid. She didn't have to make him anything, it was kind enough of her to offer him anything at all. Unfortunately, the rational part of his brain got subdued by the irrational part that told him that he wasn't worth cooking for.

“I did, yes. It's the only thing I really know how to make, because it's so freaking easy. I can't even make mac and cheese right.” Teddy explained and Daryl scoffed loudly.

“Yeah... right.” Even he knew how to make mac and cheese, it was fucking fool proof. She really was fucking with him.

“What? You don't believe me? Alright, I'm not gonna let you call me a liar. I'll prove it to you. Come with me.” She motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen. “But we're gonna order the pizza anyway. Trust me, we'll need it!”

Daryl followed her, this he wanted to see. He didn't care how late he'd get home tonight, he needed her to prove it. Teddy ordered a pepperoni pizza before she started cooking. They didn't talk, Daryl wasn't in the mood, because he didn't know what to make of Teddy right now. He was torn between trusting her and not trusting her. She seemed nice enough, but he still had his doubts about her being genuine, especially with the whole cooking thing now. So he sat there in silence and watched her like a hawk as she cooked the macaroni, made a roux, stirred in the cheese and put everything in a casserole and mixed it. He watched her brown some breadcrumbs and spread them over the macaroni and cheese. She did it the same way he always made his mac and cheese. It would turn out fine. She had to be lying. He was tempted to leave right away and let her do the rest of the assembly on her own, but he couldn't wait for her to explain why today of all days her mac and cheese had turned out perfect. When she put it in the oven he got up and nodded his head in the direction of the living room.

“Let's get some work done while it's cookin'.” He let her leave the kitchen first to make sure she didn't do anything to the food. Yes, he was suspicious like that. They started putting together the last cupboard, Teddy grabbed one of the boards, but Daryl took it out of her hand and put the small door handles in her palm. “Let me worry bout the big stuff.” he told her in a way that made Teddy go a little weak in the knees. The doorbell distracted her and she was grateful for it. She got her wallet and went to pay the pizza guy. She put the pizza box on the couch, because she had yet to put together the coffee table and attached the door handles to the doors of the cupboard. Daryl had just finished putting the whole thing together when the timer announced that the mac and cheese was ready to be taken out of the oven. Teddy brought the pizza with her and placed it on the kitchen table before she retrieved the casserole from the oven. She took out a plate and a serving spoon and heaped some of it on his plate and put it in front of him.

“Enjoy.” she smiled and crossed her arms over her chest and watched him.

Daryl shot her a look while he grabbed the fork and stabbed it into the pasta. He frowned because it looked kind of runny. He scooped some of it into his mouth and chewed slowly. Teddy smiled triumphantly when she saw his expression change. “Told you.”

“What the fuck...?” Daryl downright shuddered and spit the food back onto the plate unceremoniously. “The fuck did ya do? It's like it's fucking burnt and undercooked at the same time. Christ.” He was stunned. He had watched her, no funny business had been going on. How the fuck had she been able to ruin this? It was easily the worst thing he had ever tasted.

“Aren't you glad that I ordered that pizza now? Like I said, the only thing I make right are those pizza dough things. I cook for myself sometimes, but I usually don't let others suffer with me.” Teddy said and grabbed the casserole and dumped it contents into the trash.

“Ya gotta learn how ta cook if ya wanna live here. Ain't too many places around ta eat at. Much less ones that deliver.” Daryl had learned that the hard way once. There were only so many burgers and pizzas you could stomach. Sometimes your body needed something good. A hunting buddy of his had gotten him a book years ago with recipes on how to cook his kills. He'd fared pretty well with that one. Often he didn't feel like cooking, but if he'd had enough of junk food he knew his way around the kitchen a little and was able to make himself something decent.

“I tried, trust me Daryl I took classes and everything. I just don't possess any talent in that area. Pretty much everything I make turns out disgusting. I don't know where I go wrong, I always stick to the recipes and instructions, but it never works. Here, have a beer to wash away the taste and then let's dig into that pizza.” She handed him a bottle before she sat down opposite him and grabbed a slice of pizza for herself.

“Thanks for helping me, Daryl. Seems like I wouldn't have been able to do it by myself after all. At least not hanging that big ass shelf.” she smiled after swallowing her first bite, watching him look up into her eyes for just a split-second before he lowered his eyes again and gave a nod.

“Why ain't your bro helpin' ya out? Though y'all were tight?”

“He and Maggie are having a shag-fest at some Bed and Breakfast in Marietta.” Teddy said casually, looking up in surprise when Daryl sputtered, an amused smirk turning up the corners of his lips.

“Ran outta places ta do it round here, huh?” he said, still sporting that cute little smirk.

“Yeah, they've already done it here, in my apartment. I haven't even had sex in here and I freaking live here.”

“Caught them down at the shop once. Bet her pop would whip yer bro's ass if he knew what they were up to. He's a friend of the bible from what I hear.”

“Hershel? Yes, he wasn't too fond of Billy at first, but it's been two years, it's serious and Hershel knows he loves Maggie and takes care of her, so they're cool now.”

“Who's Milo?” Daryl asked, looking at the tattoo on her wrist. He'd already seen it the night of the party and kept wondering about it. It was a black tree with little colorful balloons floating around it and underneath the roots it said 'Milo'. He noticed how Teddy froze for a second while she grabbed for another slice. She went completely quiet for a moment and Daryl knew he'd fucked up by asking about it.

“My son.” she answered after a couple of seconds and Daryl frowned. She had a kid? He hadn't seen any pictures of a kid around the living room. Her brother had never mentioned his sister having a kid either and there didn't seem to be a room for the kid in this apartment.

“He ain't livin' with ya?”

“He's not living period.” Teddy said quietly and he saw the sadness pass over her features and Daryl felt like shit for causing it.

“'m sorry. Shouldn't have asked.”

“No that's okay. There was no way for you to know. People ask all the time. My own fault for putting the tattoo there of all places. Didn't really think that one through, I guess, but I don't have the heart to have it covered up or removed.” She quickly sobered back up and smiled, even though it didn't quite reach her eyes this time. “Do you want some parmesan to put on your pizza?”

“Uhm,... yeah... sure.” Daryl kept his mouth shut afterwards, afraid that more stupid questions might come out of it. After they were sated they finished connecting all the pieces of the shelves and Daryl pushed and pulled on everything to make sure it was secure and wouldn't drop or topple over. 

“It looks great. I can't thank you enough Daryl. Now I can spend tomorrow getting this room done. Finally. Couldn't have done it without you.” She beamed at him, while she absentmindedly rubbed her hand over the big scratch on her other arm.

“Don't have ta thank me for nuthin'. Yer arm gonna be okay?” he nodded in the direction of the bloody, red scratch.

“Oh yeah, I'll put something on it after my shower. It'll be fine.”

“I'll get outta yer hair, let ya get to it. Want me ta take all this trash down to the dumpster?” he asked and motioned towards the shredded cardboard boxes and all the packaging material the shelves had been wrapped in.

“Oh no, that's fine, you've really done more than enough. Thank you. It was sweet of you to ask, though.” She smiled and gently touched her fingertips to his bare arm for a little second while they walked to the door.

That little gesture made him blush and he quickly ducked his head down and let his hair fall in his face to cover up the redness in his cheeks as much as possible.

“Thanks for the food. Bye.” he abruptly made his exit, barely giving Teddy a chance to send him off properly. 

“Bye. Get home safely!” she shouted after him and laughed with a shake of her head while closing the door. What a guy.

####### ###### ####### ####### ######## #####

The next month passed so quickly it made her head spin. She finally felt at home in Jasper, she loved working at the practice, the people were nice and she had adjusted to constantly having her parents around. Once she had fully gotten into the swing of things, she had started socializing a little instead of bothering Billy and Maggie all the time. She had met some nice people and was slowly becoming friends with a young woman called Annabelle Bricks, or Anna for short. They went jogging together in Jasper Park every other day and liked getting coffee at Deb's bakery and just talk about things. It was nice to have somebody to call and catch up with. She had seen Daryl around town a couple of times, but never talked to him, mostly because every time she saw him, he was with a group of people outside the bar or on the parking lot of Wal Mart. She wasn't shy by any means, but she also wasn't going to just go up to that group of strangers and chat him up. She assumed he wouldn't be comfortable with her doing so. The cute redneck still snuck his way into her thoughts every now and then and sometimes she would ask Billy how his colleague was doing and she perked up and listened intently when Billy told her something Daryl-related from work. She had told him how Daryl had helped her out and Billy had thanked him for it at work later. Daryl had just shrugged it off with a 'was nothin', but secretly he felt good about having been able to help and that she had mentioned it to her brother. 

He'd spotted her around town a couple of times, too. It wasn't like she was constantly occupying his thoughts day by day, but still Daryl found himself thinking about her quite often. Especially at night when he was sprawled out on his couch and the television program failed to catch his interest, he wondered what she was doing right that moment. He wondered how her apartment looked now and if she felt at home. He also wondered if she had met a guy by now. He didn't really think so, if she had it surely would have been talked about around town and Billy might have mentioned something in conversation. He often talked to Wade and Gus about plans for the weekend and when he mentioned his sister he always said that 'Teddy is coming' instead of 'Teddy and whoever are coming'. Even though he had no business thinking about things like that, it satisfied something inside of him knowing she wasn't dating anybody.

After a lazy weekend Teddy crawled into bed at 10 pm on a Sunday night. It was her weekend being on-call and it had been surprisingly quiet and uneventful. She instantly knew it was about to change when she heard her phone beep shortly after she had started to doze off. There had been a fight at a gas station and a guy had been injured and had passed out and they wanted her to check him out before they took him to the station to sleep it off. She told them to bring the guy to the office and got out of bed to get changed and drove to her place of work.

The stench of alcohol hit her as soon as she had gotten out of her car and walked towards the two officers that where holding up an older man between them. 

“Let's get him inside.” Teddy said and led the way. She unlocked the door and turned on the lights and had them put the guy on the exam table. She checked him over quickly with her eyes and noticed a couple of lacerations and bruises and a nasty swelling on his arm.

“Do you know the guy?” She asked the officers, while she put her gloves on to examine the man who she assumed to be in his late sixties. Maybe he was a patient and they would have a file on him that could help her out with some stuff. 

“Yes. His name is Will Dixon. Used to be a regular with us, but haven't heard anything in a couple of months. Guess he came back out of hiding.” Teddy nodded her acknowledgment while she went to work. She took his vitals and then pushed his eyelids open to shine her light into it and sighed.

“Woah.”

“What is it?” One of the officers asked.

“His eyes are as yellow as a lemon. We are definitely looking at liver disease here. He's going to the hospital. He needs an x-ray for that arm, anyway. Looks broken. I'll call an ambulance.” Teddy took off her gloves as she walked over to the desk and fired up the computer. She dialed an ambulance and held the receiver between her ear and shoulder while she typed the name of the guy into the search field of their database. While she typed she suddenly remembered where she had heard that last name before and just a second later her thoughts were confirmed. They had a file on Will Dixon and his emergency contact was Daryl Dixon. She told the operator the address of where to pick Will up and hung up and her cold eyes went back to Will. So that was the guy who was very probably responsible for the scars on Daryl's back. She had the strong urge to keep him here until he woke up and then try to set the broken bone in his arm. She'd probably need a couple of more tries than just one and he would deserve every bit of pain it would cause.

“Have you guys called Daryl yet?” She turned her attention back to the police officers who shook their heads at the question.

“No, would have done it once we had him down at the station.”

“I'll take care of it.” She told them, trying to suppress the joy of being able to talk to him again after so long, this was after all no laughing matter. The ambulance soon arrived and Teddy told the medics what she knew and sent them off. She went back in and sat down at the desk and moved the mouse of the computer so the screensaver would vanish and she would be able to read off Daryl's number from the screen. Her heart started beating faster when she pressed the last number and she felt shaky on the inside when it started ringing and she knew she'd hear his voice soon. Funny how much of a teenager adults were when it came to talking to people they might or might not have a crush on.

“Hello?” her breath hitched and she had to clear her throat before she was able to speak.

“Daryl? This is Teddy,... Robertson?” There was silence on the other end of the line and Teddy could practically feel the confusion radiate off of him.

“Know who ya are. What you callin' for? How'd ya even get ma number?” He was behaving as lovely as ever, but Teddy couldn't really hold it against him. Getting calls at eleven at night was never a good thing.

“You're the emergency contact for your father...”

“Awww shit, c'mon... really? Fine, where is he? He still with you? I'll pick him up.” Daryl sighed defeatedly.

“No he isn't here anymore. I had to send him to the hospital. They are taking him to Piedmont Moutainside. He was in a fight, his arm is broken and there might be more going on.”

“Shit man, I was in bed already.” he sounded more upset about not being able to sleep than about his father, but it didn't come as a surprise to Teddy.

“Do you want me to drive you there?”

“I know how ta drive!” he snapped at her, but felt bad about it a second later. So far Teddy had always been nice to him, he really had to watch that mouth of his if he wanted to stay on good terms with her, he realized. “Sorry,... is it serious or something?”

“It looks like it might be, yeah.” Teddy said and was met with silence for a little while.

“Could ya, like, meet me there? I won't have no clue what those quacks will be talking bout anyway.” he asked hesitantly, making Teddy smile.

“Yeah, sure. I'll just lock up here and be on my way. We can meet outside the hospital.”

“Fine. I'll see ya there.” he hung up without another word and Teddy shook her head with a little smile.

“We're gonna have to work on your phone manners, sweetie.” she understood, though. He was pissed off about having to get up late at night and taking a drive to the hospital to visit the man who'd abused him for years from the looks of it. She wouldn't be too happy about that either.

####### ###### ###### ###### ######## ######

She spotted him right away when she walked up to the entrance of the hospital. He was more disheveled than usual and was wearing black jeans and a black hoodie and it looked like he wanted to burrow himself inside of it as deeply as possible. He was obviously cold and he looked very tired and Teddy just wanted to hug him hard and give him warmth and comfort. He looked like a lost little boy, it reminded her so much of all the scared children she had worked with over the years. They just greeted each other with a 'hey' and quickly walked inside and asked about his father. Apparently they were performing tests on him and they would have to wait some time before the doctor would be able to tell them anything and Daryl and Teddy were asked to head to the waiting area to do just that: wait.”

“We're gonna be here quite a while, Daryl. Can I get you some coffee or anything else?”

“Coffee's fine. With cream.”

“I'll be right back.” Teddy smiled and went to the cafeteria to get them two big coffees. Daryl thanked her when she handed him the hot paper cup and took a careful sip before he looked over at her, quickly looking down at her shoulder when she caught his gaze.

“What's wrong with him? Ya said there might be more.”

“He definitely has some sort of liver dysfunction. His eyes were completely yellow. They have to check out what exactly is going on now and find out how bad it is.”

“That's from drinking, right?”

“Not always, but in his case, yes. His file said he's an alcoholic?”

“For as long as I can remember. Wonder he's survived this long.”

“Some people are incredibly resilient.” Teddy studied him for a moment, noticing just how tired he looked. “Are you doing okay? How have you been?”

“Fine, I guess.” he shrugged.

“That doesn't sound very convincing.” She smiled. “Saw you a couple of times around town, but I didn't wanna bother you.”

“Ya could've. Wouldn't have minded.” he carefully cast a sideway glance at her and for the first time Teddy really noticed the beautiful shade of blue of his eyes, because it was the very first time he looked into her eyes for longer than a split-second and without scowling even. And she had to admit, up until now his bare arms and lean body had drawn her attention for most of the time. This time it was about three seconds before he averted his gaze again and Teddy had to keep herself from smiling too big. Progress again.

“Well, our very first meeting gave me the impression that you would have minded very much.” she laughed, remembering that day in the bakery almost two months ago.

“Didn't know ya back then.”

“You were also with a group of people each time. Didn't want to interrupt.”

Daryl nodded and chewed frantically on the inside of his bottom lip, shooting nervous glances in her direction, before he finally spit out what was on his mind.

“Ya could talk ta me,... if ya caught me alone. Wouldn't mind then.”

Darn, he was cute. How was it possible for a guy that was so rude and abrasive for the most part to be so endearing at other times? She remembered what Billy had told her once. That the tough act was just an act. Seemed like that was the truth. Not entirely an act, she was sure he really was a real tough guy, but she bet that he was also really very nice once you got to really know him. Unfortunately it didn't seem like he would let people get to know him like that. Probably just a few very carefully chosen ones.

“I'll keep it in mind.” Teddy smiled and nudged him gently with her elbow, getting a tiny smile out of him in the process.

“Man, what's taking so long?” he sighed and rubbed his hands over his thighs nervously. He hated hospitals, he hated waiting and while he liked not being alone for once in this situation, being around Teddy made him nervous. He just never knew what to say.

“They have a lot of work to do. Reset his arm, put a cast on it, do some blood work and an ultrasound. It's probably gonna be a while longer.”

“Awesome.” he sighed deeply and leaned back and slowly finished his coffee. He startled a little, when he felt suddenly felt Teddy's small hand gently squeezing his knee. He blushed looking down at her hand on him, not because of the contact itself, but because of the weird tingling feeling it caused inside his belly.

“Why don't you close your eyes and try to sleep a little. I'll wake you up as soon as the doctor shows up.”

“Ain't you tired?”

“A little, but I have a lot of practice staying up for long hours. I used to work in a hospital, sometimes I wouldn't see the inside of my apartment for two to three days straight. I'm fine, plus I just had this gigantic coffee, that'll help me staying up. You just get some rest.”

Daryl nodded and tried to get comfortable. He usually wasn't too comfortable sleeping in public, but he'd been in the woods all day on a boar hunt. Sometimes he hunted not just for himself, but for money and that he could always use. He wished he could make that his day job, but unfortunately he didn't have enough people asking him to do that for him to make a living out of it. It didn't take long for Teddy to hear his breathing even out and she was glad that he was able to rest for a little while. It also gave her the opportunity to look at him without him catching her doing it. 

Boy he looked young when his face was completely relaxed. She had never seen him like that before, giving her an idea just how tense he was all of the time. He had really nice features. She would almost dare to call them pretty. Of course real men weren't pretty, they were handsome and gorgeous and masculine and she didn't mean pretty in a demeaning way, but there was just something really beautiful about him, He looked so different from when he was awake, it once again brought up the urge to touch him and be gentle with him and hug him. She contented herself with looking only, though. Touching him in his sleep would be kind of creepy, they didn't know each other that well.

It was well over another hour until a doctor approached them. Teddy put her hand on Daryl's shoulder and shook him softly. “Daryl? The doctor is here.”

Daryl woke right up and rubbed his eyes before he turned his attention to the grey-haired doctor.

“You are Mr. Dixon's son?”

“Yeah. What's wrong with him?”

“We ran some tests and the results show that your father is suffering from acute liver cirrhosis caused by decades worth of alcohol abuse.” The doctor explained and Daryl looked at Teddy questioningly.

“It means that his liver tissue has been replaced by scar tissue, which prevents his liver from functioning properly. Acute means that it's quite advanced.” Teddy explained to him in regular English.

“Exactly.” The doctor nodded. 

“So? What now? Does it go away with meds?” Daryl didn't even look at the doctor, he kept looking at Teddy or more precisely, at her mouth. He couldn't bring himself to keep looking into her big, green eyes for longer than just a short glance.

“It's a condition that cannot be reversed, we can only try to keep it from progre-” the doctor started explaining, but Daryl cut him off rudely.

“I asked HER.”

Teddy almost had to laugh at the way the doctor was arching his eyebrow at Daryl with an incredulous look. She quickly caught herself to give him an answer.

“Like he said, the scar tissue won't go away again, but there are ways to keep it from getting worse.”

“Like what?”

“He has to stop drinking. That is pretty much the only way. No more alcohol and a healthy diet. If he keeps drinking it means certain death.” Teddy told him.

“But even if he stopped drinking then he would still need a transplant in the long run. You as his son might be able to donate or we put him on the transplant list, but it often takes years to find a suitable organ.” The doctor cut in.

“How can we find out if I am able to donate?” Daryl asked, this time turning his attention to the doctor.

“Just a simple blood test. We could do it right now and then you can go see him.”

“Let's do it.” Daryl nods decisively and Teddy cleared her throat. “Um Daryl,... does your dad have insurance?”

“Nah, why?”

“If you turn out to be a match,... well,... you know, transplant surgeries are really expensive.” she said carefully and Daryl sighed deeply.

“How much?” he asked the doctor.

“You are looking at about 150,00 – 200,000 dollars.” the doctor replied and Daryl felt faint. There was no way to get that kind of money. But it was his father, he couldn't just let him die, right? He drummed the fingers of his left hand against his thigh while he chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment.

“Take my blood and test me. I'll figure something out.” 

Teddy bit her lip and kept quiet, she didn't want to make a scene in front of the doctor. She wondered how exactly he wanted to make that work and for someone who used to beat the shit out of him. The doctor lead the way and Teddy waited outside the room while a nurse took Daryl's blood. Next up was seeing his father. 

“I'll wait outside the room again. Okay?” Teddy asked him. She didn't want to leave him alone, Daryl had gotten more fidgety the closer they had gotten to the room his father was in.

“Thanks.” Daryl said quietly and took a deep breath, before he went in.

####### ####### ####### ######## #######

Daryl entered the room and sighed when he saw his father standing on wobbly legs in front of the hospital bed, completely naked, and looked around the room. He winced, closed his eyes and looked away for a moment at the sight of his father's exposed genitals.

“Shit, Pa. What are ya doin'? Daryl told himself to keep his eyes straight ahead while he quickly grabbed the hospital gown and wrapped it around his father's body.

“There ya are. Took ya long enough.” Will snarled at his son while he tried to push Daryl's hands away. “Don't touch me you faggy bastard. Go find me ma clothes. One of 'em damn nigger nurses stole them.”

“They probably burned 'em. I'll bring ya some new ones tomorrow after work.”

“You'll get them right the fuck now. We're getting outta here. Ain't gonna stay with these damn idiots.”

“Ya can't leave, Pa. You're sick. Real sick, alright?” Daryl tried to get his father back in bed, but Will was still strong enough to give him a good fight.

“Nonsense. I'm Will Dixon, I ain't never getting sick. Bunch of idiots just want me ta line their pockets with ma hard earned cash. Think I'm stupid, but I ain't stupid. Tellin' me ta stop drinkin'. They don't know nothin'.” Will shouted while he shoved Daryl around. 

“Ya gotta listen to them, Pa. Ya gotta stay and get better. Yer liver is shot ta hell, ya hear me? You're gonna die if ya don't stop. That's what ya want? Ta die?” Daryl pleaded with his father, but to no avail.

“I ain't fuckin' dying. I'm a Dixon. Dixon's don't die easy. But you don't know shit about that. Yer just a damn pussy, a little momma's boy. You ain't no real Dixon. You ain't no son of mine. Yer whore of a momma musta stepped out on me with one of em fucking democrats from down the street. Ain't no way yer mine.” Will kept shoving Daryl and punching at him with his cast, not caring about hurting himself further. Daryl didn't do anything to stop him, he just let it happen. He was unable to fight back, just like when he was a little boy. His father's rage had always had a paralyzing effect on him. 

Teddy meanwhile had heard every word while she waited right outside the door. Especially Will hadn't been exactly quiet. Her heart broke for Daryl and she realized how damn loyal he was, even to the people who hurt him the most. His father was a bastard who physically and mentally abused him and still Daryl was willing to do everything to save his father's life. When she heard things getting knocked over she quickly alerted the hospital personnel. 

“We need a little help here. Your patient is getting violent!” she shouted towards the nurses station and shortly after orderlies a nurse and a doctor stormed the room and Will was pulled off of Daryl and pushed on the bed to be sedated. Teddy quickly grabbed Daryl's hand, who still seemed to be in a paralyzed state and gently tugged him out of the room. Thankfully he went with her willingly. She pulled him with her all the way out of the hospital before she stopped and turned to look at him. She put her hand on his cheek and searched his eyes, relieved to see him blink and coming out of his shell-shocked state. This time he held eye contact and the look he gave her broke Teddy's heart. He looked devastated and so unbelievably sad it was sheer overwhelming. Teddy wrapped her arms around his waist and did what she had wanted to do all night, she hugged him as hard as she could.

“I'm sorry.” she said quietly and then rubbed her hands over his back comfortingly before she pulled away. “Let's go home. There's nothing left to do here.”

Daryl hadn't returned the hug, but that didn't mean that he hadn't enjoyed it. It had felt good and it had warmed him up a little and given him enough strength to gather his bearings and come back to his senses. He felt drained and exhausted and all he wanted to do now was curl up in bed and sleep and forget all about what had just happened.

“Do you think you are okay to drive?” Teddy asked him when she noticed him getting back to his old self. His face tensed up again, his posture straightened and the scowl returned.

“I'm fine. Nothin' I ain't used to. It's just 6 miles anyway.”

“Sure?”

“I said I was fine.” he snapped and started walking toward his truck without another word. He suddenly realized that Teddy must have heard what his father had said to him and that he had been too weak to fight back and it made him feel deeply ashamed and his fight or flight instinct kicked in. In this instant he fled from Teddy and fought with her inside his head, while Teddy watched him stride away with a sigh.

'Who the fuck does she think she is? I ain't one of her fucked up kids. I don't need her stupid hugs. Don't need no one holdin' ma damn hand. Don't need her fucking pity. Fuck her!' he thought angrily,unloading all the anger that was actually directed at himself and his father on her.

Teddy quickly jogged to her own car and followed him at a safe distance to make sure he got back home safely. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him walk inside the building he lived in safe and sound and drove home. All she wanted was to sleep, she only had three hours left before she had to get back up for work, but sleep eluded her. She just couldn't stop thinking about Daryl. He was a man of so many contradictions, it confused the shit out of her, but God help her, she liked him. Even though it had been such a shitty night, she had really enjoyed his company. To just sit next to him and be able to look at him. She really hoped it wouldn't take another month until she saw him again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Teddy was cursing her body for how quickly it had gotten used to getting about 8 hours of sleep each night. It had taken her almost a year to be able to tolerate very little sleep but it had only taken a couple of weeks for her body to get used to long hours of sleep again. Spending most of the night in the hospital with Daryl had left some traces on her face. She was paler than usual and she had to use concealer to get rid of the shadows underneath her lower eyelids. She was so goddamn tired, even her face felt like it was exhausted and her eyes were burning and constantly brimming with tears from yawning, but she wouldn't have it any other way. Daryl had needed her, she was sure of that. Who knew how much further it would have gone if she hadn't alerted the hospital personnel. Not to mention being alone in that shocked state that he'd been in, with only strangers surrounding him. Being tired today was worth it. It was probably a good thing that it was Monday and the waiting room was filled to capacity with patients that had injured themselves or had gotten sick over the course of the weekend. She was so busy she didn't even have time to take a break or think too much about Daryl. She knew she'd do tons of that as soon as she was home. Still she was glad when the last patient left. It was already six pm, usually they closed at five pm, but you can't kick out a person in need of medical attention. She didn't even say bye to her father that day, she had filled him in about Will Dixon during the morning, leaving out the fact that she had stayed at the hospital with Daryl. She didn't need a talk about how these Dixon folks are no good. The look her father had given her just by mentioning the name had told her more than enough.

God she was tired. She hadn't been this tired in years. That was why she thought she might have fallen asleep and that what she was seeing was just a dream. When she entered her apartment building and rounded the corner that led to her place, she saw Daryl sitting on the floor with his back against her apartment door. She stopped short and just stared at him, not knowing if that was really happening or if she was dreaming it. Daryl got up when he spotted her and turned his back on her and picked something up from the floor before he turned back to face her. Teddy approached him slowly, not knowing what to expect. She noticed that he was biting his lip again, showing her in his own way that he was nervous. He shifted his weight a couple of times and kept shooting shy glances at her while she got closer and suddenly his right arm shot out towards her, so fast that it startled the fuck out of her and she actually took a step back in shock. Taking that step back helped her to properly look at him and realize what he was doing. There he stood, a grown-ass man looking like a little boy with his shoulders slumped, his head down, his eyes peeking up at her carefully and his arm outstretched, holding a single purple wildflower in his hand.

“'m sorry...” he mumbled, completing the picture of a rueful little boy and Teddy's eyes watered. She was touched by the cuteness of it all. She was tempted to give him another hug, but she refrained for now. She accepted the flower and smiled.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Daryl. I understand. It was a rough night.”

He nodded and when he looked down again his eyes fell on the object he held in his other hand.

“Got something else for ya.” he handed her an old notebook.

“What is this?” Teddy asked with a surprised smile as she took the book from him.

“It's a cookbook. A friend of mine gave it ta me when I started out with all that stuff. Helped me a great deal. He made it himself. It's handwritten. If ya have trouble readin' something, ya can jus' ask me,... if ya want. Maybe it helps ya, too.”

“That's really sweet, Daryl, thank you.” She smiled at the sweet gesture and browsed through some of the recipes. “Fried Bullfrog?”

“Yeah, they ain't bad actually. If ya need anythin' for those recipes, I can help ya out. I'm a hunter. I hunt. I go into them woods and-”

“Hunt?” Teddy finished for him with a smile. 

“Yeah.” Daryl blushed and gave a little awkward laugh. He dug his hands deeply into his pants pockets rolled up on the balls of his feet and back down, nervous energy radiating off of him in waves.

“Maybe you should just teach me how to cook. Sounds like you're the man for the job.” she closed the book when she read something about squirrel brains and looked back at him. “Would you like to come in?”

He nodded eagerly and stepped aside so she could unlock the door. “I, um... got questions.”

“I figured you would.” she opened the door and led the way into the living room and pointed at the couch. “Have a seat. Would you like some water or 7up or coffee?”

“Coffee would be good. Fucking tired.” he said and as to emphasize his point he rubbed his eyes tiredly while he sat on her couch.

“You and me both. Okay, one coffee coming right up.” she walked into the kitchen, the heels of her black suede ankle booties clicking and clacking on the hardwood floor with every step. Daryl watched her leave, his eyes lingering on her swaying hips and butt that were dressed in dark skinny jeans. His hand was itching to slap itself down on the firm curve, she looked damn tempting in those pants. When she was out of view he looked around the living room that was no longer chaos central. The shelves were now filled with books, pictures and little trinkets, the only chaos left was on her coffee table with a bunch of magazines and letters laying around on it. There was stuff like Cosmopolitan mixed with medical magazine stuff and a gas bill from what he was able to make out. When she came back with the two mugs in her hands she quickly handed one to Daryl and put hers on the floor while she pushed all the magazines and pieces of paper into one neat pile in the middle of the table before she picked her mug up from the floor and sat down next to Daryl, leaving the proper amount of space between them to not get up in his personal space. 

“Sorry, forgot to put those away yesterday.” she apologized for the little mess on the table. “Now, what can I help you with?”

“I don't know what to do next. Need some advice, I guess. You're the only one I can ask bout that shit.” he mumbled while he stared into his coffee.

“Okay. Honestly? You shouldn't do anything other than live your own life and let your father do his thing.” Teddy told him candidly. The statement made his head whip up and he stared at her with narrowed eyes.

“The fuck are ya sayin'? I should let him die? Just like that? I ain't turnin' ma back on family.” the snarl was back on his lips, but Teddy was unimpressed. After all she was used to it by now.

“Let me explain. Medically speaking, right now your father has the chance to save himself. All he has to do is stop drinking and he will stop the disease from progressing. That is all it takes. Yes, in the coming years he will need a transplant, but right now, he can help himself, just by getting help and getting clean. I'm not saying that you shouldn't give a fuck and turn your back, at least not yet. Wait and see if he is even interested in getting better. See if he takes the necessary steps to save his own life. If he does and you're a match, great you can go ahead and help him out, but if he keeps drinking, Daryl, then you are putting your own health at risk trying to save a man that is already dead.”

“What's that mean?”

“Donating a piece of your liver is major surgery, Daryl. There are a ton of complications that could be happening and the morbidity rate for this procedure is pretty high, 35%. Just last year a young, perfectly healthy man died after donating a piece of his liver to his brother. There is risk of bleeding and infection or blood clots... Even if the surgery is a success and you are fine after spending a week at the hospital and you recover completely, there are still a ton of other factors that could hurt you. A ton of donors have chronic pain for the rest of their lives and have to have more surgeries and most of the time donors have problems with their biliary tract. You might look at a seriously reduced quality of life, Daryl. And for what? He walks out of there and straight to the next bar and drinks himself to death anyway. He's been an alcoholic for how long? A good 30 years? Do you honestly think that he will stop now?”

Daryl's deep defeated sigh was answer enough. “Guess I can't do nuthin', huh? Wouldn't even know how ta get that money. Not in a legal way.”

He was sad, she could tell and it amazed her. He'd really hoped to be able to save him after everything that had been said and done. 

Daryl tensed for the fraction of a second when he felt her warm hand on his bare forearm, his glance flicking from his mug down to his arm. How was it that it calmed him when she touched him? Must be because she's a doctor. Healing hands or shit like that.

“It was him, wasn't it? The scars? He gave them to you.”

“Was a long time ago.” he said in reply, keeping his eyes on her hand that was still resting on his arm.

“And yet he hasn't changed. He picked up right where he had left off the first chance he got. Don't risk your life for him Daryl. He doesn't care about you. That hurts like hell, I'm sure, but trust me, it won't change anything if you do this for him. He won't change. He'll just keep kicking you and from what I've learned about you so far, you do not deserve that at all. You're a good man and he doesn't deserve having you care about him.” Teddy had started gently rubbing her thumb over the soft skin of the inside of his forearm while she talked and it made Daryl have this weird tingly feeling in his belly again and at the same time it calmed him to the point of feeling damn near serene.

“Why would ya even think that? All I do is yell at ya. You don't know nuthin' bout me. ” he said, but his voice was soft.

“Maybe not in the traditional sense, but I know people. I know that your bark is worse than your bite. You are tough, but you also have a heart of gold. You care about things. You're loyal. You like helping people out. Yeah, you snap at me a lot, that's your bark. You wanna intimidate me and scare me off, so I won't be able to hurt you. I get it.”

“Got me all figured out, hm Doc?” Daryl scoffed quietly, finally tearing his eyes away from the sight of her stroking his arm to look up at her with a tiny smile.

“God, not even close.” Teddy laughed. “I feel like you are one of those Russian matryoshka dolls. Every single time I think I got you figured out, another side pops up.”

“You spend a lot of time thinking bout me then?” he asked with an amused expression on his face and his eyebrows shot up in surprise when Teddy blushed and looked away and pulled her hand from his arm.

“Uhm, so tell me. Is there a store around here that seriously sells bullfrogs and squirrel brains?” Teddy changed the topic in a heartbeat. She had let her guard down and let it slip that she did think about him a lot. That was really awkward, especially when she wasn't sure if he was interested in her. Daryl kept looking at her with a mixture of surprise and suspicion, not replying and making her extremely nervous with his silent staring. 

“Another coffee? Maybe I should dig through my cabinets for some cookies. You hungry? Oh, right, it's dinner time already...” She had gotten up and was wringing her hands nervously while she looked everywhere but at him. Oh he was seriously enjoying this. He liked getting a rise out of people and this right here, being able to make Teddy lose her cool, when he was usually the nervous one, was priceless. 

“What's wrong? Why are ya so jumpy all of a sudden?”

“I'm not jumpy! Just hungry. You uhm.... do you wanna stay for dinner?” She asked as casually as she could muster in that moment, which wasn't casual at all.

Daryl actually had to laugh at that. “I know how ya cook, Doc. I better pass. Can't afford ta be in bed sick for a week.”

“Haha, very funny. It doesn't make you sick, it just tastes bad. I was just gonna pop some chicken nuggets in the oven. They're the pre-cooked ones, just have to heat them up.”

“Nah, got some left over squirrel stew I gotta eat today. Thanks for the offer, though.” he declined her invitation and finally got up as well.

“Right... Good one...” Teddy tried to hide her disappointment with a scoff.

“Ain't no joke. Thanks for the coffee.”

“Thanks for the flower and the book. So you're headed home now?”

“Yeah. Goin' ta sleep early today. Been a long couple of days.”

“Okay then,...” Teddy trailed off. She would love to spend some more time with him, she didn't know when she would see him next and was reluctant to let him go. Unfortunately she just didn't now what more to say right now.

Daryl stood there and rubbed his thighs and shifted his weight and then just reached out and ever so lightly touched her waist with two fingers for a second. “Just gimme a heads up if ya need anythin' for those recipes. I can go into the woods on the weekends and get stuff for ya. Got ma number in yer files, right?”

“Yeah. So I have your permission to use it for personal reasons instead of just for contacting you in case of an emergency?” she grinned shyly and bit her lip, a look Daryl found himself liking very much on her.

“Sure, go right ahead. Don't need ta give it ta you in writing, do I?” he smirked and Teddy was tempted to fan herself. Good Lord, was this really happening? Was he flirting with her a little?

“No, oral agreement is fine.” She smiled and then they were back to standing in front of each other awkwardly. Daryl let his gaze sweep up her body one last time, letting the image imprint itself into his brain, before he gave her another couple of seconds of rare eye contact. 

“Gotta go now,... see ya around Doc.”

“Bye, Daryl.” she smiled and closed the door behind him after he left, before she slumped against it with a huge smile and let out a deep breath.

“Wooooo,... and there was another doll popping up. Yup, not anywhere near done figuring him out.” she talked to herself and grabbed their used mugs to take them to the dishwasher. Back in the kitchen she saw the flower she had put in a vase on the kitchen table. He'd brought her a flower. An actual flower. He must have picked it himself, it was one of them wild ones that grew near the Navajo Trail close to his neighborhood. He had gone out and had gotten that flower for her. The realization made her heart thump a little faster in her chest. It meant he cared enough about her to really show her that he was sorry about being snappy with her. It was sweet, albeit kind of old-fashioned, but Teddy liked old-fashioned. It made her wonder if there was another doll inside of him, one that was hiding a bit of an old-fashioned romantic in its belly. How cute would that be?

###### ###### ####### ####### ###### #######

After leaving Teddy's building, Daryl got in his truck and startled when he caught his own reflection in the rearview mirror. He was smiling. He hadn't even noticed that he was doing that. He let go of the key in the ignition and just sat back in his seat for a moment. Shit was happening. Good shit for once.

He hadn't been able to sleep after returning from the hospital, he hadn't been able to shut his mind down, the thoughts had just kept racing. He was torn between hating and worrying about his father. He didn't want to give a fuck about him, but unfortunately he did, even though the old bastard did not deserve it. At the same time he had felt bad about the fact that he was worrying more about Teddy hating him now, after he had snapped at her again, than he was worrying about the fate of his father. The thing was, Teddy hadn't had any reason to stay and wait with him at the hospital. She had done it because she had wanted to and it had been obvious, even to himself, that she hadn't really worried about his father. She had worried about him, Daryl. She had wanted to be there for him, he'd realized and it had made his heart beat faster and his stomach tighten.

Daryl was no fool. He knew what those physical reactions to her meant. He'd just never experienced them before. He'd liked girls before, but not quite the same way he liked Teddy, he'd realized in the wee hours of the morning. He'd been more like friends with the girls he'd been with. He had cared, but they hadn't made him feel like Teddy did. They barely knew each other and he had mostly only snapped at her and yet she had shown that she cared about him. That was the important part: she had SHOWN him. Actions spoke louder than words where Daryl was concerned.

The Dixons had a less than stellar reputation in Jasper, he knew that and he hated it. He hated carrying the Dixon stigma. The fact was, he was different from Merle and his father. He was embarrassed for them. It would be easy for him to step in his family's footsteps, but Daryl just didn't want that, so he fought anew, every single day, to break out of that damn Dixon mold everybody tried to push him in. He wanted to be more than just the dumb, rude hillbilly, but unfortunately very few people ever gave him a chance to be better and see past his last name, so he kept putting up his shields and didn't trust easily. With Teddy he started to feel that he could trust her to be genuine and honest and he didn't want to ruin it, so he had decided that he would definitely go see her to apologize and make things right and now he was real glad that he had done it. Her whole face had lit up when she had accepted the flower. He'd felt a little silly, but he'd figured pretty girls like her liked getting flowers and that it would help in showing that he meant his apology. The book he'd given her not because he thought it would help her (he was pretty sure all hope was lost with her cooking skills), but because he thought it might be a good way to give her a reason to get in touch with him if she wanted to and he hoped she would want to. He'd thoroughly enjoyed his visit with her. How she'd kept her hand on his arm and how he'd been able to make her all jumpy, that had been fun. He would be lying if he said he didn't want her, but honestly all he was hoping for right now was her friendship. He knew she had a reputation to uphold and would probably never ever consider getting involved with him, but hopefully she'd consider being friends with him. He sure as hell would keep his phone close to him from now on, he thought as he finally started his truck and pulled out of the parking lot.

###### ######## ####### ######## ######## #######

The next day at work Billy spent his lunch break with his colleagues in the break room when his cell phone started buzzing in his pocket. He checked the caller ID and answered.

“Hey Teddy, how's it going?” he greeted his sister and noticed Daryl's gaze snap over to him for a short moment.

“Hey Billy. I just wanted to tell you something real quick and I really hope you will give me your blessing and your support.” Teddy told him, her voice happy and excited.

“Already not liking the way this conversation is going, but go ahead.” he frowned and waited for what she had to say to him.

“I wanna date Daryl.” Teddy grinned and Billy almost choked on his sandwich and looked at Daryl with wide eyes. 

“What the fuck, Teddy??? Does that mean you already did it? Or what?” his stare turned hard and Daryl suddenly felt very uncomfortable and looked everywhere but at Billy. Was Teddy telling her brother about his visit yesterday?

“No, no, no. I don't even know if he is interested. I think he might be and that's why I wanna try, you know?”

“Mhm... and what gave you the impression?”

“About Daryl being interested?”

“Yeah.”

“You're acting weird. Is it really that big of a deal?” Teddy frowned. “You know, I'm gonna try my luck with him no matter what you say, but I don't want to fight with you about this and I would really love to have your support.”

“Teddy, you do realize that I am at work right now, don't you?” Billy said.

“Yeah, so what?”

“Think.”

“What the hell do you me-” Teddy suddenly realized what he meant and giggled. “Oh God, he's there with you! Oh, that's gotta be weird. I'm sorry, I was so excited, I didn't even think about that.”

“Obviously. I don't know Teddy...” Billy trailed off and looked at the squirming redneck, who couldn't shake the feeling that he was part of the conversation between Billy and Teddy. “Fine, you have my support.” He sighed deeply.

“Wow, could you sound any more dishonest?” Teddy frowned when she heard his tone of voice.

“Sorry. I'm just worried. Teddy, are you sure you wanna go through with this? Let me throw two names at you: Bernadette and Gerald. Still think it's a good idea?”

“I do. I'm not saying that I wanna marry Daryl, maybe he doesn't even want to date me, but I wanna try. I like him so much. Should I ignore my feelings just so our parents won't get upset? I get so happy when I see him, Billy.” Teddy admitted to her brother and it tugged at his heartstrings. His eyes once more focused on Daryl who had lowered his head and kept shooting little insecure glances towards Billy.

“It's been so long since I heard you say something like that.” A wistful smile appeared on Billy's lips. All he wanted was for his sister to be happy again. He would be the last person to stand in her way if she thought Daryl would be able to make her happy. “Alright, sis. I got your back. Whatever happens, I'll be there. Sound good?”

“I love you. Thanks Billy Goat.”

“Don't call me that or I'll rescind my support.” he threatened jokingly.

“Sorry. What is he doing... How's he look today?” Teddy grinned and then laughed out loud when she heard her brother groan.

“Goodbye, Teddy.” He hung up quickly and pushed the phone back in his pants, shaking his head while he did it. “Women.”

Daryl kept looking nervously at Billy, always waiting for him to say something, but he never did and after a while, he finally relaxed again. Maybe he had been wrong.

######## ####### ####### ###### #######  
At night Billy told Maggie about his conversation with Teddy and Maggie immediately picked up the phone to call her. She wanted details and Teddy was happy to share with someone objective like Maggie. She had already talked to Anna earlier, but she had been very adamant about the fact that “that Dixon guy” was no good for Teddy, causing Teddy to rethink the whole friendship thing with her. 

“Daryl Dixon brought you a flower? Aaaawwww Teddy, that is so sweet!!! Who knew he had it in him? You know, in the 1950's that would have pretty much been a marriage proposal.” Maggie smiled and then giggled when she heard Teddy's loud laugh.

“He brought me a cookbook, too. Probably wants to make sure he won't starve to death when he marries me.” Teddy joked before she sobered up again. “So, I'm thinking there is at least a little bit of interest on his part. What do you think?”

“Well I would think so, too, but it is hard to tell. Maybe he really just wanted to apologize and thank you for your support.” Maggie pondered out loud.

“True, BUT...”

“Uh there's a but? Do tell!”

“It's this cookbook full of funky recipes, like squirrels and frogs and fish and stuff like that. And he said twice that I should tell him if I needed something like that and that he would hunt it for me on the weekend. And he got a little flirty I think, he was all like, you got my number on file, right? Go ahead and use it.”

Maggie laughed when she listened to Teddy. It was so weird to imagine stoic Daryl talking to Teddy like that. “Okay, okay, you are right. I think he is definitely interested. Damn, that's so cute. You're gonna be a smart girl and call him, right? Because it definitely sounds like he wants you to.”

“Oh yes, I'll definitely call. I am just so goddamn nervous. Gosh I haven't done this dating stuff in such a long time, but I remember how awkward getting to know each other can be. The whole good night-kiss thing? And getting intimate at first? I call it the Blushing Game. It's so weird at first, I wish I could skip it.”

“Noooo, are you crazy? Sure it's awkward, but it's also exciting, don't you think? Doing stuff together for the first time? Exploring? Finding out things about each other. I envy you. It's fun and in a couple of years you'll have a great laugh about these awkward first fumbling of hands.”

“Yeah okay, I guess it's true. It is pretty damn exciting. When do you think I should call? I'm not sure. I would love to see him again tomorrow, but that might be a bit rushed.”

“No Teddy, don't be like that. Go with your gut. If you wanna see him tomorrow, then call him up and invite him. Isn't there a recipe in that book of his that doesn't call for a special animal from the woods? Look if there is a recipe that calls for a chicken or beef or pork. Something you can get at the store.”

“But if I can get it at the store, why would I call him?” Teddy was confused where Maggie was going with this.

“Because if you use something from those exotic recipes you will have to wait until the weekend for him to get that for you. Right? You said something about him going out to the woods on the weekend.”

“Right.”

“Right, so you wanna see him tomorrow? Find a suitable recipe, get the ingredients from the store and then call him up and ask him to teach you because you're lost. And of course you will invite him to stay with you to eat because he was so helpful. Tadaaaa, first dinner date.”

“I love you.” Teddy laughed. “That's a good idea. Little transparent maybe, but hey, somebody's gotta make the first move, right?”

“Exactly and I think this is the most casual way to do it. Cooking together can be quite an intimate affair. But of course that's mostly when you're already intimate and not on your first date.”

“Of course. Wow. Thanks Maggie. I think that's exactly what I'm going to do. Do you think I should dress up?”

“No, I wouldn't do that. You got great style and if he likes you he probably likes the stuff he's seen you in so far, so just stay casual. You can dress up for your first official date. One he asks you out for.”

“What would I do without you? I haven't dated in... wow 5 years. Okay maybe longer, the night I got pregnant didn't really count as a date. Shit, why am I suddenly so nervous, Daryl isn't even here, just thinking about having that dinner with him is making me jittery.”

“Oh Jesus, Teddy, you really like him, huh? What did that guy do to you?”

“Yell at me, for the most part. Didn't know I was into that. Interesting. No, seriously though, he is a really great guy. It's like Billy said, all that gruffness is just a shell to protect himself. You didn't see him at that hospital..., he was so young, so lost and hurt and yet so goddamn loyal to his father. Sorry, please forget I said that. I don't have any right to talk about his personal stuff.”

“Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna tell anyone, not even Billy and I sure as hell won't go up to Daryl and tell him what you just told me.” Maggie reassured her.

“Thanks, Maggie. Really thank you for everything. I'll go take a bath and hop into bed.”

“Okay. Call me after dinner with Daryl, alright? I wanna know how it went.”

“Sure will, Maggie. See ya.” The girls hung up and Teddy soon laid back in her tub and closed her eyes, letting her mind drift back to a couple of hours earlier. How cute Daryl had been with that flower and how flustered he had gotten her all of a sudden. Her belly got all fluttery just thinking about him and she really couldn't wait to see him again and hoped he wouldn't decline an invitation to dinner again.

####### ########### ######## ######## #######

“What?” Maggie asked when she noticed Billy's thoughtful expression when she joined him on the couch.

“It's Teddy. That whole Daryl-thing? I just get the feeling that it's gonna cause so much fucking trouble. God, why? I thought it was over.”

“If I remember correctly, I told you this was far from over.” Maggie grinned. “You owe me 20 bucks.”

“I know, that's why I'm frustrated.” Billy sighed. “I really thought it was just a bit of an infatuation. After he helped her set up her stuff it got so quiet. I mean, how often has she actually talked to him or met him at all? Like 3 times?”

“Sometimes only seeing or talking to somebody once is all it takes. You might have thought she had let it go, but I saw something else. Every time you said his name she perked up, like someone had touched her with a cattle prod. Men just don't notice things like that. Aw, don't pout.” Maggie went in for a kiss, but when saw his sour expression she pulled back a little and sighed. “What would be so bad if she would get it on with Daryl? You said it yourself, he's a nice guy at heart.”

“He is and I meant that and trust me, if the circumstances were any different, I'd be fucking elated to have those two hook up.”

“What do you mean?”

“Our parents. Do you really think they would welcome Daryl with open arms? Hell, my mother already said that he looked like a serial killer. To them, he is just another dumb redneck. They will give Teddy hell and Daryl will run for the hills and Teddy ends up crying her eyes out, hating our parents and so on and so on. She's been through enough, she barely got out of losing Milo, I don't want her to get hurt ever again.”

“Milo died a long time ago, Billy. Long before the two of us even knew each other. She's gone through therapy, she is doing good and she's been alone for years, she deserves a man by her side. She is smart, Billy. I think she knows exactly what she is getting herself into and she'll know that there is a chance of her getting hurt. It's a part of life and you can't force her to stop living her life because you are scared that she might get her heart broken.” Maggie smiled and kissed him sweetly. “Help her. Support her and be there for her, especially if it goes to hell. Remember how we started out. If Beth and Shawn hadn't been there to have our backs and talk some sense into Daddy, who knows if we'd be here right now. Teddy will need your help, don't deny her that. You two have an amazing bond, don't do anything to destroy it. Got it? You promised, Billy. You promised your support, so don't go back on that now. Got it?”

“I'm not crazy enough to say no. I've seen you handle a shotgun.” Billy grinned and kissed her, letting his tongue roam in her mouth. He didn't want to keep thinking about Daryl and Teddy right now. If those two really got together and their parents caught wind of it all hell would break loose and he just wanted to enjoy the calm before the storm. Deep down he couldn't suppress the feeling though that things would turn to shit soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The odds just hadn't been in Teddy's favor in the following days. She had found a recipe for stuffed pork chops in that cookbook Daryl had given her and on Tuesday afternoon after work she had gone shopping and gotten all the ingredients. She had started on cutting the mushrooms so it looked like she had at least tried before she'd called Daryl for help. Just when she'd wanted to pick up the phone to call him, it rang. For a second she'd had high hopes that it was him, but nope, it was a very panicked John Mills, his wife had gone into labor three weeks earlier than “planned”. She'd discussed a home birth with Teddy and wanted to stick to that plan, so Teddy had to get her things and leave and hadn't been back until midnight. On the weekend she'd promised her mother to help her out with some new project of hers on Wednesday night. Decoupage she kept calling it, so Teddy spent hours gluing old newspaper snippets onto an old table, while her mother kept ranting about all the gossip she had picked up at the country club in Marietta. Teddy listened with one ear only, she couldn't care less about the problems of the rich and the famous. She just kept thinking about Daryl and her plan to get him back into her apartment.

“Am I boring you, dear daughter of mine?” Bernadette finally asked when she noticed that Teddy was not an active listener while she told her stories.

“Mhm.”

Bernadette arched her eyebrow, put her paintbrush down and crossed her arms over her chest. “How about we do this every night for the next three months? Wouldn't that be fun?”

“Mhm.”

“Oh good, and maybe after we are done with this table, we could paint your father's testicles green and yellow for Easter.”

“Mhm.... Wait, what???”

“Ah, so you are still with me... at least to some extent.” Teddy's mother leaned back and studied her daughter. “You seem preoccupied. Are you doing alright, sweetheart?”

“Yes, I'm good. Sorry. I'm just a little tired, it's been a long week and it's only Wednesday.” Teddy smiled. Her mother could be so nice and caring if she wanted to be. She wondered why she was always putting on a show.

Bernadette didn't say anything, she watched Teddy continue with her work, her eyes going to Teddy's right wrist. “I thought about him today. Milo. I met Candice Burg with her little grandson today. Adorable little boy. He had black hair, just like him. He grabbed my finger... I forgot how wonderful it feels...”

“Stop.” Teddy told her sternly, albeit with a soft voice.

“I can't believe it's been five years this year. It feels like it was just yesterday that he was born. I kept thinking all morning, what would he look like now?” Bernadette kept talking, two tears spilling out of her eyes.

“Mom, please. I delivered a baby yesterday, I can't do this right now.” Teddy told her gently while she fought to keep her own tears from falling.

“Why do you do it when it is so hard on you, Teddy? I will never understand why you torture yourself like that.”

“It's not torture, Mom. It's healing in a way. I couldn't do anything to help my own child, but I can help to keep other children healthy. I like what I do. There's just some days where it's more of a challenge than on others. I'm fine, trust me.” She reached over and gently wiped her mother's tears away with her thumb. “Don't cry. You know I can't stand to see you sad, Mom.”

Bernadette caught her daughter's hand in hers and kissed it before she released it again. “Alright, enough with this melancholic nonsense. We have a job to do. Come on, honey, pick up the speed. The faster we finish the earlier you can sleep.” 

“I love you, too.” Teddy laughed with a shake of her head, grateful that her mother got back in Drill Sergeant Robertson mode. Teddy couldn't bear the sadness of her parents over the loss of their only grandchild. She could never help but feel that she was to blame for it, even though she knew that she really wasn't.

######## ####### ####### ######## ######## 

On Thursday she was finally free. She wasn't on call and she hadn't promised anyone to help out with anything, so she went shopping for fresh ingredients after work and hoped to God that nobody would dare to interrupt her plan this time. So for the second time that week she stepped up to her cutting board and sliced up some of the mushrooms she'd gotten from the store. She shot an evil glare at her phone while she walked towards it, daring it to ring. She still looked at it suspiciously while she picked it up and unlocked the screen, but it remained silent. She pulled up her contacts and scrolled down until she reached Daryl's name. She lost her breath for a minute as a rush of nervousness went through her body and she took a moment to gather her bearings again, before she finally touched the screen again to dial his number.

“Calm down,... Jesus, why am I so nervous? It's just a call. Just a call,... shit,...” she told herself while it rang, but suddenly her mind went black and she couldn't remember for the life of her what she'd planned on saying to him. And of course he picked up his phone at that exact moment.

“Yeah?”

“Hey,... it's uhm... Teddy.” Was that really her voice that sounded that squeaky? Damn.

“Hey.” Daryl greeted her. His casual voice didn't betray the smile that had appeared on his face when the caller ID had told him who was calling. He'd saved the number the night she had called to let him know about his old man.

“Hi... I was just thinking about you...” she froze, her eyes wide. That was not what she had wanted to say at all. “ I mean, I was cooking,... I am trying to make something from your book and I could use some help, I guess.”

Daryl grinned at her little slip up and at how nervous she sounded. It was too fucking cute. It made him feel real good. Like he was more of a man, because of it. He couldn't really explain it, but it was there and it was good.

“Need me ta hunt something for ya?”

“No, I am trying the stuffed pork chops. I got everything from the store, but I'm kinda lost.”

“Lost? How?” he smirked.

“Uhm,... in general, I guess. I don't know how to do... well, fucking anything I'm afraid.” she banged her head against the doorframe in frustration. That whole talk had worked way better in her head.

“Trouble readin' the instructions?” he offered her a way to keep at least a little part of her dignity.

“YES. Exactly, that's it.” She let out a relieved sigh. “Do you think you could come over and help? Are you free?”

“Be there in ten.” He said and hung up again without another word. Teddy grinned happily and did a little victory dance. Thank God that was over, that had been so awkward. But like Maggie had said, it was also really exciting in a way. Teddy quickly checked her looks in the bathroom mirror and quickly grabbed the spray can of hairspray from the shelf and pressed it against her heated cheeks in an attempt to make the redness disappear. Daryl didn't need to see right away just HOW excited she really was. She leaned closer to the mirror while she cooled her cheeks and checked if her eyeliner and/or mascara had left any smudges during her workday. 

“Aaahhhh, holy mother of pearl...” she yelped when she almost banged her forehead against the mirror, startled by the loud ringing of her doorbell. Had it been 10 minutes already? A terrible thought crossed her mind. What if it wasn't Daryl, but some other person that dared to ruin her evening? Only one way to find out. She took a deep breath and put the hairspray back onto the shelf. She tried to compose herself on the way to the front door, but she couldn't help the big smile that her lips were forming now.

“Hey, there you are. Thank you for coming. Come on in.” Teddy greeted Daryl and the attempt to hide her blush had been completely in vain. She felt her cheeks heat up even more, when he surprised her with the oh so rare eye contact. Gosh, so blue, the color really stood out against the darkness of his bangs. Just beautiful. Daryl soon broke the eye contact and looked down, shaking Teddy out of her thoughts of admiration and she quickly stepped aside to let him in.

Daryl forgot to say anything in greeting. As soon as his eyes shifted towards the floor his gaze was caught by her legs. Her bare legs. She was wearing a pair of really high heels and some kind of black, dressy shorts that barely even reached to mid-thigh, leaving most of her legs exposed to his eyes. Goddamn. Did she really go to work like that? She had to give at least a few guys a heart attack when they came in to see her. He was sure she'd never get away with wearing that to work if her boss wouldn't be her own father. Shit, good thing she was a doctor, he might be distracted enough to cut off his fingers if she wasn't going to change. At least her top wasn't nearly as revealing, it was just a loose-fitting, gray sweater. It was a good thing that the heels she was wearing put them at almost the same height again, this way he wouldn't have to look down at her in the first place and it would be easier for him to keep his eyes focused on her top half.

“Can I offer you a drink? Water? Juice? Soda?” Teddy asked while she opened her fridge, making Daryl snap out of his trance. He hadn't even realized that he'd followed her into the kitchen. Had he closed the front door? Had she? Damn, he'd really have to watch it tonight. 

“Got a coke?” he asked and spied the cutting board and the mushrooms on the counter.

“Yes. With ice?” she watched him walk over to inspect her work and saw him nod.

Daryl picked up the mushroom slices and held them up to his eyes. “What the hell did ya do ta these?”

“I cleaned them.” Teddy replied as she filled up a glass with ice and coke.

“How?”

“I peeled of the first layer with the knife. Why? Is that wrong?” she stood next to him now and handed him his drink.

“Ain't wrong, just ain't necessary. Just rub 'em with a wet paper towel. You cut away half of these things.” Daryl couldn't help but be amused. How could someone that smart be so fucking clueless about simple tasks like cleaning mushrooms?

“Oh.” she smiled sheepishly. “See? I am absolutely hopeless. Good thing I called you.”

“Yeah, it is. You're throwin' yer money in the trash if ya keep doin' it like that.” He tore off a paper towel from the roll on the counter and went to the sink, turning on the water and letting some drip on the paper towel. “Here ya go. Just think of it as cleaning a wound, wipin' the blood off.” he tried to explain while he handed her the paper towel and a mushroom. Then he turned around and leaned back against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest and watched her. The amused smirk never left his face. 

“You're not gonna help? You're just gonna tell me what to do?” she looked over at him with a smile.

“I'm helpin ya by tellin' ya what ta do. Learning by doing.” he winked with a cheeky grin and reached for his drink to take a sip of the cool beverage. 

“Alright, you got a point. Am I doing it right?”

“Looks good.” he nodded while he watched her hands work. 

“Have you heard back from the hospital yet?” she asked him after a moment of silence.

“Yeah.” Daryl's smile fell. “I ain't a match. Wrong blood type.”

Teddy was beyond relieved. Now Daryl wouldn't feel obligated to go under the knife for his abusive dickhead of a father. “Maybe it's for the best, Daryl. You know he's not gonna change and there are just so many risks attached to live donor transplants.”

“I called ma brother in jail. He don't even wanna get tested. Can't blame him, I guess.”

“Let me guess,... his back looks like yours?” Teddy asked carefully.

“Yeah. Left home early, 'cause he would've killed our old man otherwise.”

“And he didn't take you with him?” Teddy was horrified by the thought of his brother leaving Daryl behind to take all the brunt of the abuse.

“Nah. He sent money a couple of times, other than that I didn't see him much no more. He was in and outta jail a lot.” Daryl shrugged. “Don't like talkin' bout that shit.”

“Sorry, I'll stop asking.” Teddy smiled apologetically and reached over and squeezed his biceps gently. “So, these suckers are clean. Now I can slice them, right?”

“Right and the parsley, too.” He instructed her and while she was focused on the task at hand, he took the opportunity to look at her. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he saw her biting her lip in concentration. She was fucking cute. She had her long wavy locks up in a ponytail, revealing her long and graceful neck. Her skin looked so damn soft, he wondered what it felt like underneath his fingers and his tongue. 

'Did she like a little biting? Cause she had a perfect spot on the back of her neck for him to sink his teeth into.' Daryl thought and let his gaze wander lower, against his better judgment. Oh yeah, there were another couple of good spots on her thighs for some love bites. He had a perfectly clear picture in his mind of how he'd give them to her. Her long legs would be resting on his shoulders and his head would be buried between them. 

“Fuck!” he thought and reached down to adjust himself discreetly. Maybe he should ask her to put on a different pair of pants. No, how would that look? He would just have to get a damn grip on himself. There was something he'd wanted to ask her anyway, although he was a little hesitant to do so.

“Hey, uhm... ya didn't tell yer brother nothin' bout my Pa, right?” 

“No, of course not. Doctor-patient-confidentiality.”

“And ya didn't tell him bout you stayin with me at the hospital, neither?”

“No. Why? Did he say anything to you?” Teddy was worried that Billy might have said something stupid after her confession that she wanted to try dating the redneck.

“No, jus'... ya were on the phone with him the other day, right? And... dunno,... wasn't eavesdroppin' or shit, but he kept lookin' at me weird.” Daryl watched her reaction closely and he knew instantly that he hadn't imagined things with Billy, when he saw a deep blush creeping into her cheeks.

“Oh really? Are you sure? Maybe he wasn't even doing it consciously...” Teddy dared to glance at him and wished she hadn't. He was giving her that look again, the same look he'd given her on Monday, when she had basically told him that she thought about him a lot.

“I wasn't sure. Now I am.” he smirked.

“Okay look,...” she put the knife down and turned a little to face him more. “Your name might have come up in the conversation, but I promise you that I didn't tell him anything about your father or the night at the hospital.” Teddy was fidgeting nervously with the ring on her middle finger, unknowingly giving Daryl some confidence by showing how jumpy she was once again.

“Then what did ya tell him? He damn near done choke on his food,... eyes poppin' outta his head and shit.” he pressed her for more details, while he turned to fully face her, one hand on the counter, the other casually resting on his hip.

“That's kinda personal. Nothing personal about you, I swear, just about me.”

“And ma name came up in that? How?” 

“I really can't tell you. Not right now. I might tell you one day in the future, I don't know, but not right now.” Teddy was beet red by now and was barely able to look at him. She almost wished he would go back to not looking at her directly, because right now she felt like he was able to look right through her and read her mind.

“Ya tell him I was here on Monday?” Daryl didn't give up that fast.

“Yes, I might have mentioned that.”

“Might've? Ta me it sounded more like a 'definitely'.” Daryl grinned when she started tapping her fingers nervously on the counter-top, but he also noticed that he was taking it too far now and that she was getting uncomfortable. He carefully touched her arm and gave her a real smile for the first time. “Just fuckin' with ya, relax. Ya done? Then we can get started on the meat.”

Teddy just stared for a moment. Holy shit, he was smiling. God help her, he had a gorgeous smile, her knees felt wobbly. Damn, even his teeth were pretty. Suddenly she had to giggle at her thought and shook her head, finally able to turn her attention back to the cooking.

“Yes. Yes let's get to the meat. You're gonna stay for dinner right?”

“Sure. I'm feelin' adventurous today.” he said and earned himself a little slap against his chest from her, at which he chuckled happily. Daryl proceeded with instructing her on how to cut a pocket into the pork chops and stuff it with the mushrooms, parsley and some cheese. He had her sticking toothpicks through the meat so it would stay closed and then she had to fry them in a pan for a short moment before they had to be put into the oven with some potatoes. Once that was done she went to the living room with him and plopped down on the couch next to him.

“Do you mind if I take my shoes off? My feet are killing me by now.” 

“Go ahead. Ya go ta work in those things every day?” he asked while he watched her take those sexy heels off and sigh blissfully in relief. 

“Sometimes. Not every day. Sometimes a girl just needs to feel pretty and not so short, but I admit, they do get uncomfortable faster than flats.” She smiled and wriggled her toes happily.

“Ya ain't that short.” he argued with a frown. She seemed to be about average. Maybe a little below average.

“I know. I'm like 5'4”, it's not super short, but somehow I always had people surrounding me that were taller than me and I hated looking up at them, so over the years I acquired quite the shoe collection. Never got to wear them when I worked at the hospital, so now I am taking full advantage of being able to wear them again. I am sure that it will get a little less as the weeks go by, though. Some can hurt like a bitch.” Teddy explained while she pulled her legs up on the couch and sat cross legged facing him.

“Tell me something about yourself.” she smiled at him.

“Nah, ain't much ta tell.” he shrugged off her request, but Teddy wouldn't have it.

“I highly doubt that. Come on. You said you liked hunting. Anything else you do in your free time?”

“No. Just that. I like fumbling around with cars and bikes and stuff like that. I'm kinda good with ma hands I guess.” he told her. 

“Yeah, Billy always says that you're the best at your job. That you've taught him a lot.” Teddy smiled at the surprised expression on Daryl's face. “Don't look so surprised. It's true. He always talked a lot about you when he talked about work.”

Daryl was deeply humbled by that. He never thought that his colleagues paid all that much attention to him. Pride blossomed up deep inside of him at the fact that at least one of his colleagues appreciated his skills and also, that Teddy knew and believed, that he was good at something.

“He's good, too. Fast learner.” Daryl didn't know what else to say to that. He was still kind of shocked.

“Yeah, he loves what he does.” Teddy smiled. “Sooo,... uhm,... no girlfriend or wife I gotta be worried about storming into my office and bitch-slap me for having dinner with her man?” she held her breath and bit her lip, looking at him shyly while she waited for his reply.

“God no!” he scoffed with a laugh.

“God no?” Teddy laughed, not quite knowing what to make of that answer. “What does that mean? Not into women?”

“I am. Just made me laugh, 'cause I ain't never come close to marrying no one. Got nothin' ta worry about.” Daryl shook his head, still chuckling. Him and married... He wouldn't mind getting married one day, he'd just never pictured himself doing it.

“How's your shoulder, by the way? Everything heal up okay?”

“Yeah, I guess. Haven't checked it out. Just left it alone.”

“Can I see?” 

“Errm... sure...” Daryl looked at her questioningly, not sure if he should take his shirt of or not, while she sat up on her knees. Before he could ask Teddy lifted the fabric of his black sleeveless shirt a little, where the sleeve used to be attached, and pushed it aside a little to reveal the thin scar on his shoulder. She gently traced her fingertips over the slightly raised skin before she raised her eyes to meet Daryl's gaze, who had turned his head towards her. Both their breaths hitched at their closeness, their faces were only inches apart. Daryl realized in that moment that he had fooled himself, that he could never ever be friends with her. He felt like an animal whose mating instinct had been switched on full force. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to take her and make her his, just from having her this close. Nah, friendship would never work. He'd be too scared of attacking her every time she'd hug him or something like that. That's why he very quickly got up now and walked towards the kitchen.

“Let's check on the food.”

“Oh, okay,... but it's still got 15 minutes left in there.” Teddy was confused about his abrupt departure from the living room.

“Ya still gotta check. Maybe that's why ya are such a shitty cook...” Uh-oh, the snarl was back and Teddy sighed deeply. One step forward, two steps back. She didn't follow him, she wanted to wait and see if he would come back and also, maybe he needed some time to cool off. After five minutes she got sick of waiting and walked over to see what he was doing. 

He was leaning against the counter, with his arms crossed, hands tucked underneath his armpits again, pronouncing his wide shoulders even more. He looked up at her and Teddy didn't know how to read his gaze.

“Ya kept the flower.” he sounded surprised, even though his expression didn't betray that surprise.

“Of course I did. I love it. Why would I throw it out?” 

“It's just a flower.” he shrugged.

“No, it was a really sweet gesture.” she slowly walked closer to him, but made sure to keep enough distance so he wouldn't snap again. “I'm sorry if I crowded you out there.”

“Ya didn't. Wasn't you,... Sorry I snapped... 'gain.” He truly looked embarrassed by having lost his cool again and Teddy smiled.

“I'm not gonna say it was okay this time. I realize that it's something that you do, but I think maybe we should work on a system.”

“A system? What kinda system?” He asked with a frown, not really sure where she was going with this.

“How about every time you snap or yell at me, even though you don't really mean to, you have to eat one of my meals. That should be punishment enough, right?” she giggled when Daryl smiled again. 

“That ain't punishment. That's nuthin' but pure evil.”

“But you have to admit that it might work! I'm sure after the third or fourth time you will have learned your lesson.” 

“Ya might have a point, yeah.” he had to agree. If he had to eat her mac and cheese three times in a row he was sure to think before he reacted in the future.

“Good and for that little stunt just now you have to come back tomorrow night and have to eat at least five bites of my meatloaf.” she burst into a fit of giggles at his pained expression. “Oh yeah, you are so gonna stop snapping after that.” 

“You're cookin' might actually turn me into a decent man.” he smirked and Teddy sobered up.

“You ARE a decent man, Daryl. If something's wrong, just try to tell me, okay? I know I have to earn your trust and that is totally fine, I just wanna know when I do something you're not comfortable with.”

“Okay.” He promised her and himself that he would try. He felt like he shouldn't ever come back here, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stay away. He started to feel like Teddy didn't want to be just friends either. Asking if he had a girlfriend was code for “I'm asking 'cause I'm interested”, right? He'd asked if George Hanson was her boyfriend, because he'd hoped she'd say no. Nobody would ever ask that question if they weren't interested. Right? Maybe he should just kiss her? If she pushed him away and slap him he'd have a definite answer. Nah, he couldn't kiss her. He wasn't even close to touching her in this moment and still all he could think about was ripping off her clothes, bend her over that table and fuck her senseless. If he'd kiss her, there would be no stopping him. He'd ravage her like an animal. Why did she have to wear those damn shorts? It was driving him mad.

They ate a short while later and Daryl was perfectly content with listening to her tales of working and living in Seattle. She missed the weather, she often had headaches because it was still freezing cold in the morning and then suddenly hot in the afternoon. Her body had trouble adjusting. Of course the words “my body” and “adjusting” combined in one sentence, made him think of another situation in which her body would have to adjust. To a certain, very beloved part of his anatomy. Fuck, he was such a pig, he admonished himself, but he couldn't help it. She had done something to him. He'd thought about her that way before, but ever since she opened the damn door earlier she'd put some kind of spell on him and now he couldn't stop thinking about being with her in the most primal way.

That's why he left pretty soon after dinner, but he promised to be back the next night for his punishment meal. As soon as he was back home he turned on the shower and stripped off his clothes. He stepped under the hot spray and closed his eyes as the scalding water washed over him. He was instantly hit with all the images he'd been thinking about earlier: sucking on those delicious thighs, biting her neck and fucking her on the kitchen table. His dick stood at attention and was pulsing with need in record time. He poured some of his shower gel in his right hand and wrapped it around his cock. He hissed loudly when his slick hand slid over the sensitive head and he gave himself a nice squeeze when his fingers were firmly wrapped around his shaft. Then he started pumping his slick fist up and down hard and fast, the same intensity he would use to fuck her from behind on that table in her kitchen. His hips started moving, pushing himself into his right hand that tightened its grip on his rock hard member. His left hand slapped against the tiles of the shower while he slapped that fuckable ass of Teddy's in his fantasy. He grunted like a madmen with every stroke of his fist, his need was overwhelming, he didn't know what was wrong with him, he'd never felt like such a damn cave man before. He felt the familiar tingling in his balls and his hand picked up speed.

“Yeah, fuck, c'mon Doc,...” he groaned loudly and then bit his own wrist, while his fantasy self bit Teddy's neck when he came hard, shooting his juices against the tiles where they were immediately washed away by the spray of the shower head. Daryl was breathing heavily and felt utterly spent and relieved. He leaned his head back and let the cooling water refresh him a little bit. He had no energy left to wash himself or his hair, so he just turned off the water and grabbed a towel, drying himself haphazardly before he let himself fall into bed.

'I'm gonna go get me this woman. She asked about my status,... 's gotta mean somethin'.' It was Daryl's last thought before he drifted off into a deep sleep.

###### ####### ####### ####### #######

A little less than 24 hours later Daryl was seated at Teddy's kitchen table again, the same table that had been part of his little shower fantasy. He was in deep shit. Just looking at the damn table was almost enough to make his pants tighten.

“Oh my god, I had to lance the biggest cyst in the history of mankind today.” Teddy laughed while she dropped a glob of mashed potatoes on Daryl's plate. “There was puss everywhere. It was like a volcano.”

'Well, that solves the boner problem.' Daryl thought wryly.

“C'mon Doc, your cookin' ain't enough punishment? Now ya gotta tell that stuff, too?” Daryl made a face.

“That was payback for all the other times you were mean, now we're even. Dig in.” She smiled while she placed the plate in front of him and took her seat right across from Daryl.

“You ain't eatin'?”

“Nope, just gonna enjoy watching you.” she grinned.

“Wicked woman.” he muttered good-naturedly. “What do I get if I eat it all?”

“My forgiveness.”

“And?”

“My forgiveness isn't enough?” Teddy laughed. She loved Daryl's humorous side. He was dry and quick-witted, unlike herself and she liked it very very much. Who was she kidding, she liked everything about him very much. He was finally getting used to her presence, now he looked at her more often than not. Not always eye-to eye contact, but it has gotten a lot more than it used to be, like when he had helped her with her furniture. 

“The deal was five bites. If I clean the whole fucking plate, ya could sweeten the pot a little.”

“Oh yeah? How could I sweeten it?” She was intrigued, he already seemed to have something in mind.

“I kinda said yes to going to this party of a friend tomorrow. It's in the woods after dark. If I finish this whole thing and don't ralph into the trashcan after, you're coming with me.” he tried to sound confident and not blush. He was inviting her on a date without letting it sound too much like he was inviting her on a date and he would eat everything on that goddamn plate even if it slowly killed him in the coming week, if she agreed to his idea.

Teddy had to keep herself from jumping up and down. She wasn't stupid and it was pretty transparent that he was asking her out this way. She found it very endearing and bit her lip to keep herself from screaming yes.

“This whole thing was supposed to be a punishment, not me doing you favors.” She giggled. “But you know what? I wanna see if you can do it. You're on!”

“Alright.” he smiled and grabbed the fork. One deep breath to brace himself, then he scooped some mashed potatoes on the fork and put it in his mouth. Surprisingly it wasn't that bad. That would be a cakewalk. He quickly shoveled all of the potatoes in his mouth, while Teddy watched with her chin resting in her hand, a little smile on her face. He hadn't won yet. It was mashed potatoes made out of instant powder, even she was able to add milk and salt without ruining it. The meatloaf was her own creation and she was sure his taste buds would hate it with everything they had. 

Daryl was in good spirits. He took a big gulp of his coke when he was done with the mashed potatoes and stabbed his fork into one of the two slices of meatloaf. He put it in his mouth and just seconds later he shuddered.

“Good Lord... what the hell you put in there? Tastes like pure mustard with a side of cod-liver oil.” Daryl had goosebumps breaking out all over his arms. He took it back, the mac and cheese hadn't been the worst thing ever. Her meatloaf was, hands down.

“The funny thing is, neither mustard nor anything fishy is in there.” Teddy laughed. “Guess I'm also shitty with my spices, huh?”

“Don't care, I already kinda won.” Daryl swallowed hard, that meat didn't wanna go down.

“No you didn't.” Teddy laughed.

“Yeah I did. Ya said five bites! I ate more with all the potatoes.”

“But the potatoes don't count. I said five bites of meatloaf and you had one so far. So right now you have neither earned forgiveness nor my company.” Teddy couldn't stop giggling, he looked so cute all grumbly and kind of green in the face.

“Rotten woman.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that. Now come on, honey. Just a little more. Only four bites.” She coaxed grinning.

“Aw hell, you just wait. I'll eat the whole damn thing. Ain't got no time limit set.” he smiled triumphantly when he realized he could pace himself and actually take hours to finish this meal.

“Oh come on, that would be too easy. 10 minutes!” 

“Nah, forget it. Wasn't part of the deal. I have all night! No going back now!” Daryl stated decidedly while he prepared to take his second bite.

“But wouldn't it be easier to just quickly get it over with instead of dragging it out and knowing this torture won't stop for hours?”

“Hm... might have a point there. Can't get no ketchup, I s'ppose?”

“No.”

“Barbecue sauce?”

“Daryl. Quit stalling and get it over with.” she smiled.

“Fine!” he sighed and decided that she was right. He had to get it over with quickly or he'd never finish. “Watch this.” he winked and put the fork aside and picked up the meatloaf with his fingers and quickly shoved the thing in his mouth and only chewed enough to be able to swallow without suffocating. Teddy gaped and laughed at the same time, seemed like he really wanted that date. Daryl picked up the second slice and gave it the same treatment as the first one. When it was all down he quickly downed his whole glass of coke, before slamming it on the table with a triumphant look.

“I'll pick ya up at eight.”


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Daryl felt a little silly when he looked at his reflection in the mirror that hung on the door of his closet. Silly and nervous to be more precise. For the first time ever he had actually made an effort to look presentable. All for Teddy. He thought he looked stupid, the sight was just not something he was used to, but he hoped that Teddy would appreciate that he'd chosen to wear his nicest clothes and that she would also like the way he looked. He was freshly showered and his hair was clean, dry and soft instead of being drenched in sweat from a hard day's work. That didn't mean it looked any less wild, though and he also hadn't shaved. He was willing to make an effort in looking halfway decent, but he wouldn't change everything about himself and bend over backwards so she would like him. He narrowed his eyes at the top button of his shirt, pondering whether he should button up all the way. That's what these fancy lawyers did, right? He slipped the button through the hole and looked at himself again with a miserable expression while he tugged at the collar, feeling like he was gonna suffocate. Fuck it, he was a mechanic, not a lawyer, he thought and unbuttoned not just the one, but the two buttons from the top for good measure.

“Better.” he mumbled to himself and looked at the alarm clock at his night stand. It was time for him to leave and pick up Teddy. He released a nervous breath and grabbed his nice leather jacket from the closet before he slammed the door shut. He draped the jacket over his arm for later, it was a snug fit and it restricted his movement too much while he was driving. He went down to his truck and checked the truck bed once more, making sure everything they might need was there. He might be a bit presumptuous with his preparations, but they'd be in the woods,... better prepared and safe than sorry.

####### ####### ###### ###### ###### #######

Teddy's jaw fell to the floor when she opened the door to greet Daryl. She did a double-take, making sure that it was really him. 

“Daryl...” she breathed while she gaped at him.

“Ya hate it...” he sighed as he looked down at himself, but looked back up when he noticed Teddy shaking her head vigorously.

“No, no, no. Jesus, no. Daryl, you look fucking amazing. So handsome. I mean you always look handsome, you do, but damn, you clean up nice!” Her gaze swept repeatedly up and down. His boots were the same he always wore, but he wore pants she'd never seen him wear. Dark blue denim, that fit his narrow hips and lean legs just perfectly. They looked new, he either just bought them or he very rarely wore them. He wore a plaid shirt, that was tucked into his pants and a black leather belt. The shirt still had its long sleeves and damn, if that didn't pronounce his broad shoulders even more. The fabric was straining over his well-developed muscles, the seams seemed ready to burst. Maybe that's why he always cut the sleeves out of those shirts, because the material was barely able to contain his shoulders and upper arms. 

'Kind of a sexy problem to have. Sorry, I'm too muscular for shirts my size. That was hot.' Teddy thought with a grin and watched the endearing blush spread on Daryl's cheeks when she called him handsome. 

“You did this for me?” She asked with a smile before she bit her lip and lightly tugged at his shirt.

“Ya always look good.” he admitted shyly. “If I force ya ta come with me, least I can do is look a little less like a hobo.”

“You never look like a hobo, Daryl. A wild animal? Maybe. But I like that and I think you always look good, too.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, now let's go. I'm thirsty.” Teddy grinned. Man, that shy peeking up shit he did always made her heart soar. He was so damn adorable and fucking hot at the same time. She was really looking forward to that party and being able to show off her hot date. 

“How are you feeling? Stomach doing okay today?” she giggled, remembering how hard it had been for him not to gag and throw up after finishing the two slices of meatloaf.

“Feel good now, but I ain't gonna lie... Was a little queasy this mornin'.” he admitted with a smirk.

“I'm sorry.”

“Why? You put somethin' in there ta make me queasy on purpose.”

“No, I didn't. I swear. Just the queasy part wasn't supposed to happen. Eating that stuff was punishment enough. Didn't mean to prolong the torture.” she giggled a little, but it turned into a frown when they came up to his truck and she saw the truck bed, which had literally been turned into a bed. “You always drive around with a mattress in the back?”

Daryl had the decency to blush, knowing what that must look like to her. “It's just in case.”

Teddy was amused, but she didn't show it. Instead she let her eyebrows shoot up in question. She wanted to hear how he explained his way out of that one.

“We're headed to a party. There's gon' be booze. I don't drive drunk.” he nervously tried to find the right words. “If ya don't wanna, I won't drink a drop, but if yer in, we can both drink and sleep in the back.”

“The whole night? In the woods? Out in the open?” 

“Yeah. Ain't gonna freeze tonight, I checked. And there's sleeping bags, too. Done it a thousand times, it's okay. It's safe.” he hoped she would say yes, but he still felt like he'd fucked up by not asking first before he came over here looking like he'd assumed she'd say yes anyway. “But if ya don't wanna, just tell me and I won't drink. I'll take ya home whenever ya want.”

“Sleeping under the stars, so to speak? That's awesome. Good idea. That way we can both have a little fun.” Teddy smiled and the cutest little smile graced Daryl's lip at her enthusiastic reply. 

“Good. Then let's go.” he smiled and opened the passenger side door for her and closed it once she was seated, making Teddy giggle, while he walked around the car to the driver's side. Daryl had already been more of a gentleman than stupid George Hanson.

Daryl drove them out into the woods parked the truck in what he called 'his regular spot'. When they got out he led them back to the dirt road and from there on they followed some signs made out of cardboard that had been pinned to some trees, directing them towards the location of the party. The dark way was dimly lit by a bunch of LED lanterns and Teddy was glad that she had gone with her instinct not to wear anything with heels. She was wearing black leather biker boots over her skinny jeans, a cream knitted sweater and a black leather jacket to protect her from the cold night air. Daryl had donned his leather jacket now, too and Teddy had a hard time not to stare at him the whole time with her mouth open. He really was a sight to see. His demeanor had changed as well. It was like a switch had been flipped, as soon as they had entered the woods she had felt the subtle change. He exuded a lot more confidence and seemed more at ease than usual. Teddy didn't know that much about Daryl yet, she didn't know that Daryl felt at home here. This was his territory, this is where he felt like a man and in control in every aspect. He had the dream of living here one day. In a real house, that he would build with his own two hands. Fully functioning with electricity and running hot water and everything. He just needed to figure out a way to make more money in order to save up for it. 

They followed the signs and Teddy walked a step behind Daryl and looked around when the ground under them got a little uneven. Teddy felt like a dork when she stumbled a little and almost fell face first in the mud. She quickly grabbed on to Daryl's narrow waist to keep herself from falling and laughed. “Shit. You better play seeing-eye dog for me or I'll take a mud bath before we even get to the party.”

Daryl chuckled and took one of her hands in his and grasped it firmly. “Gotta watch yer step, Doc. You alright? Didn't hurt yerself, did ya?

“No, I'm fine. Just being a big klutz.” she smiled. Daryl squeezed her hand gently and started walking again.

“Better stick close ta me, then.”

“Oh trust me, I will.” she grinned happily and leaned against his arm a little bit while they walked. Daryl looked down at her with a smirk. He loved looking at her and admiring her shapely legs and ass when she wore heels, but he decided he liked it even more when she wore flats and was smaller than him. It stirred up a fierce sense of protectiveness inside of him, which made him feel strong and masculine and he liked that a lot. He wanted to be the guy who protected her from all the bad things on this fucking planet and from the way she leaned into him it looked like she would let him do it.

“There it is.” she smiled, her eyes wide in amazement. It was beautiful. It was a big clearing and the trees surrounding it were decorated with little LED lights. In the middle was a fire surrounded by a couple of big logs of wood that served as benches for people to sit on. “Quite the crowd. Should we go look for your friend?”

“Nah, sure he makes the rounds. He'll say hello sooner or later. Let's just get a drink.” he said and tugged her along towards the table filled with a copious amount of bottles and plastic cups, that was set up at a safe distance from the fire. Daryl could use a little alcohol to take the edge off, a beer would be enough. He just felt a little nervous about holding Teddy's hand in public. There was no way he would let go, though. He had the urge to make sure that people knew that they were here together. He was proud to be seen with her, he just hoped she'd feel the same way about him. What he didn't know was, that he had absolutely nothing to worry about. Teddy was beaming, she was so happy to be there with him and she tightly held onto his hand as they made their way through the crowd, greeting some familiar faces on their way. 

There were a lot of people from out of town, but there were also a lot of people amongst the attendees that lived in Jasper and the arrival of Teddy and Daryl together had immediately caught their attention and the couple drew quite an amount of stunned looks to themselves. The women of Jasper spread the news like a wildfire and Teddy and Daryl had barely taken the first sips of their drinks when there were already hushed whispers of 'hot new couple alert' amongst the little groups that were standing around the clearing. It was the best gossip the townspeople had in forever. The surly redneck and the pretty new town doctor holding hands, that sure was a breaking news headline, if things like that would get printed in the local paper. 

Daryl wasn't stupid and he was way too observant not to notice the attention that was directed at him and Teddy. He swallowed his first beer down maybe a little too quickly because of it, making Teddy giggle in surprise. “Trying to forget you're here with me or something?”

“Nah, wouldn't have eaten that poison ya cooked up if I didn't wanna be here with ya. Jus'... people are lookin'. Kinda weird.” he admitted with a shrug. Teddy looked in the direction of the fire and noticed a dozen heads immediately turning away from them, because they felt they had been caught staring by Teddy.

“You know how people are, they are curious about new couples showing up. They'll get over it.” Teddy smiled while Daryl looked at her in surprise.

“Couple? That what we are?”

“No, it's just what they think when two people hold hands.” she explained and noticed how his shoulders slumped a little and he looked away from her so he wouldn't see the disappointment on his face. Teddy had to keep herself from giggling. She wouldn't make this too easy for him. “I mean, I'm just doing you a favor here,... that's what you wanted,... not like this is a date or something,... right?”

Daryl looked down at his feet while he shifted his weight. “What if it was?” he asked quietly and looked at her shyly. “I mean... would ya even want it ta be?” 

“What do you think?” she smiled, but didn't offer more at that moment. Daryl pressed his lips together and shrugged before he started chewing on the inside of his cheek, revealing his growing nervousness. 

Some people were headed over to the table, so Teddy tugged on his hand and pulled him away from it, over to a tree where they would be out of earshot from other party-goers. 

“Do you want this to be a date, Daryl?”

Another shrug. “I guess. Maybe.”

“Maybe?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Fuck. Yes, okay? Yeah, I wanted this ta be a goddamn date, alright? Just go ahead and laugh the fuck in my face and get it over with.” he shouted at her in exasperation and let go of her hand. Teddy remained unfazed. 

“That's gonna cost you another round of my cooking, buddy.” she said while she crossed her arms over her chest. “You wanted to know what I told my brother. That day on the phone when you thought he kept looking at you weird?”

“What's that got ta do with anythin'?” Daryl narrowed his eyes at her and waited for an explanation. 

“Everything.” Teddy smiled. “You were right, he did look at you weird. He almost choked on his food because he was looking right at you while I told him that I liked you and wanted to date you.”

“Ya can't be serious.” Daryl's eyes grew big. “That's what ya told him? Why'd you even tell him?”

“He's my brother and well, he works with you. I didn't want it to be weird. Just wanted to give him a heads up and get his opinion.” Teddy told him, while Daryl thought back to what he had heard on his side of the conversation. Billy had mentioned their parents' names and asked her if she was still sure it was a good idea. That stung a little, but Daryl thought he'd probably been right about asking. Fuck, their parents would throw a shit fit. That wouldn't be any fun at all, but Billy had promised his sister that he'd be there for her no matter what. Having his support might be a good thing.

“Your brother said something... Said that he hadn't heard ya say something like that in a long time. What did ya say?” Daryl asked her about the part that had made him very curious about what had been said, especially if it had involved him.

Teddy smiled and Daryl knew he was about to hear something good, when she blushed a little and bit her lip while she gathered the courage to spit it out. “I said that I get real happy whenever I see you.”

Daryl felt like he was floating for a second and he actually looked down to make sure he wasn't. He smiled, really smiled when he looked back up at her. “Yer crazy.”

“A little, yeah.” she laughed. “Kinda crazy about you, too. I like you Daryl. And I would love to spend more time with you and get to know you better. Soooo, the question is... You in?”

“Fuck yeah!” he grinned, feeling like a ton of bricks had been lifted off his shoulders. 

“Good, then I guess we might be on our way to become a couple.” she smiled and walked closer to him, taking his hand back in hers. “So let those people look and talk. They'll get over it and it will be old news soon and nobody will look twice at us holding hands anymore.”

“Hope so. Makes me kinda nervous.” he admitted. “Don't like being judged.”

“Nobody does. Just forget about them and let's enjoy our evening. Should we get you another drink to help along?” she smiled gently at him.

“Yeah, we better do.” he said and walked back to the table with her, opting for some Jack Daniels instead of a beer this time. 

After his second Jack, Daryl was able to relax better. They kept to themselves in the background and talked and watched other people and Teddy pointedly stared back at everybody who kept looking at them too long and after a while the looks became less and less. Teddy looked around a little and noticed a smaller log behind one of the trees that had been decorated with lights. It was a sturdy tree, and it was a little darker back there, people wouldn't be able to really see them unless they walked around the tree and stood in front of them. Maybe Daryl would feel more comfortable there, she thought. They weren't socializing with others anyway, just drinking by themselves, so nobody would miss them. 

“Come on.” she smiled and dragged him behind her. She walked over to the tree and behind it and sighed when she saw that the log was smaller than she had thought. There was only room for one person to sit on it, that was probably why they had put it there instead of in front of the fire with the others.

Daryl didn't see any problem with it though. He was glad to be out of view from the other guests, so he had no trouble doing what he did next. He sat down on the log and pulled Teddy to sit sideways on his lap.

'Well, that worked out better than I thought it would, after all.' Teddy thought with an impish grin, which turned into a laugh when she noticed Daryl release a deep sigh.

“Feel better, honey?”

“Yeah.” he laughed quietly. “Sorry.”

“Don't worry about it.” Teddy smiled and put her empty cup on the ground so she'd have her hands free. She put her arm around Daryl's shoulders and gently threaded her fingers through the long thick hair at the back of his head, lightly massaging his scalp. She loved the feel of his hair, it was so unbelievably soft and she loved the way the ends curled just a little bit, helping in giving him his wild look. Daryl closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree and enjoyed what she was doing to him. The lights that were slung around the tree were dim, it was almost like candlelight, but it was enough for Teddy to be able to study his features again. When she brought her other hand to his face and let her fingertips trace the sharp line of his cheekbone, Daryl opened his eyes. The atmosphere changed as they looked into each others eyes and Teddy's breath quickened and she felt like she got pulled in by a magnet. She couldn't help but let it happen and moved her head closer to his. 

Daryl's eyes widened and his breath hitched when he realized what was about to happen.

“Don't!” he pulled his head back as much as he could without banging it against the tree. Teddy's eyes snapped back up to look into his, confusion clearly etched into her features.

“Why?”

“Ya won't like what happens.” he rasped and Teddy narrowed her eyes at him.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I don't know if I can stop... if I can control myself...” he stuttered. His desire for her turned him into a cave man and he was scared of hurting her. He had no idea how to tell her that, though.

“I trust you. I don't think you'd hurt me. I'm a big girl, Daryl. I can make you stop if I have to, but I don't think that will be necessary. Just let go, please? I really wanna kiss you.” Daryl searched her face for any signs of hesitancy, but he found none. She really wanted this. She looked at him questioningly, asking for his permission and when he nodded, she leaned in again. Their lips met softly at first. A tentative pressing of lips that was repeated several times. Teddy soon applied more pressure, growing more secure when she felt Daryl kiss her back. 

'Fucking hell.' Daryl thought when he felt the that primal feeling inside of him rise up again. He slipped one hand around her waist and pulled her closer, the other buried itself into her long tresses at the back of her head, mirroring her hand in his hair. He angled his head and deepened the kiss. His tongue traced along her bottom lip, teasing it gently before he sucked it between his lips and nipped it with his teeth. Teddy moaned and he was a goner. That primal feeling rushed through him, his blood was practically singing with it, enhanced by the alcohol in his system. The hand in her hair tightened to a fist and he pulled her head to the side so her mouth would be able to accommodate the onslaught of his better. He didn't ask for permission, when she gasped he used it to push his tongue into her mouth. When it touched hers, Teddy moaned again and tightened the grip on his hair, spurring Daryl on even more. His tongue swirled around hers wildly and he only pulled back to suck and nibble on her lips and give them a chance for a breather before he dove back in.

Teddy's head was spinning. Never in her entire life had she been kissed like that before. He was ravaging her mouth without abandon, just like he'd always imagined himself doing. He wouldn't be able to hold back even if he wanted to and thank God there was no need for it now that he had her permission. She would stop him if he went too far. Teddy wouldn't stop him anytime soon, though, he was driving her wild. Holy fuck, the man was growling. Actual, deep, animal-like growls were formed in his throat and she felt them vibrating underneath her fingertips when she put her hand on his neck. It was the best fucking aphrodisiac ever. Daryl's hands were holding her firmly in place while he took from her what he wanted and needed, all the while giving her something she had missed her entire life without even knowing it: Himself. She was hooked, there was no way she'd ever let him go now, consequences be damned.

Teddy pulled back and looked at him, her mind racing while her breath came out in erratic gasps. She wanted him desperately, but it was only their first date. She didn't want to fuck it up, but hell, life is damn short. This thing between them would either work out or it just wouldn't be meant to be. Only the future would tell, but they were here now and she knew what she wanted.

“Truck.” she gasped and Daryl immediately understood. He pushed her off his lap, took her hand and then took off with her, leading her through the labyrinth of trees. Teddy was impressed by how easily he navigated them through the almost completely dark forest. The only light they had was the glow of the lanterns a few feet away and the glow from the moon. Daryl made sure that they stayed hidden and stayed away from the path that led to the party and the further away from the party they got, the tighter his grip on her hand got. Teddy yelped when he suddenly stopped and she ran smack into him. Daryl didn't miss a beat. He turned around, cradled her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. His tongue curled around hers in a way that made Teddy's knees wobble. As quickly as he had pressed his lips against hers, he pulled away, his hand grabbed her left arm and with a sharp tug he turned her to face one of the trees surrounding them. He walked closer until his front bumped into her back, but he still kept going, making her walk until she was pressed up against the tree. He wasn't able to wait any longer. There were more hidden here than in the truck anyway. He gathered her dark locks in his hand and pushed them over her left shoulder, baring her neck to his hungry gaze. There it was again, that spot he'd been wanting to bite for days now. Daryl pressed himself against her backside, letting her feel the bulge in his pants while he bent his head down and sank his teeth into the back of her neck with a growl, hard enough to mark her, but not hard enough to cause real pain or damage. 

Teddy jerked and moaned at the unexpected pleasure. She rested her forehead against the rough bark of the tree to give him better access. She'd never been into this rough stuff before but he was definitely changing her mind about it now. The bite stung, but at the same time it made the muscles deep inside her belly clench almost painfully and she felt the familiar tingling of arousal in her womb and her lady parts moisten. Her arched her back, pushing her butt back against his crotch instinctively. She could feel him harden, the bulge getting bigger and when one of his hands snaked around her and sought out the button of her jeans, her heart started beating so hard and fast, that she was able to feel her heartbeat in her throat. Daryl yanked her pants open and pulled his mouth away from her neck. He wanted to see her expression when he touched her for the first time, even if it was just the side of her face. His hand slipped inside her jeans and into her panties. He almost grinned happily, when his fingers were met by a small patch of coarse hair. He preferred a little hair over completely shaved, it made him feel like he was fucking a grown, real woman. He knew it didn't really make sense, but that's just how he felt. He nuzzled her ear while he tugged the hair gently, smirking when he felt and heard her breath hitch, then he watched her closely when he slid his fingers further down, tracing her slit until he his fingertips met her wet opening.

Teddy's mouth fell open and her head fell back against his shoulder. She pulled her breath in sharply with a yelp when he pushed his middle finger up inside of her and she held on to the tree for dear life while he finger-fucked her roughly, the heel of his hand pressing against her clit in the process. “Oh shit, Daryl... “ she didn't know what was happening, her head just kept spinning and spinning. He didn't even want to kiss her 15 minutes ago and now he was doing this, he was gonna fuck her against a tree in the middle of the woods. She understood what he had meant by saying he didn't know if he would be able to control himself. He really was completely out of control, but it was a good thing. He wasn't hurting her, he wasn't doing anything she didn't want. All he was doing, was making her feel oh so damn good. She mewled when Daryl added a second finger in order to prepare her for his cock, his fingertips were rubbing her hot spot so good, whether by accident or on purpose, she didn't care, she was scratching her palms bloody by gripping the tree so hard. 

“Yer so fucking sexy, Doc. Gonna have ya now.” his raspy voice sounded right next to her ear and she could only moan in response. He withdrew his fingers and yanked down her pants and underwear before he opened his belt and fly to free his painful erection. “Spread yer legs as far as ya can.”

Teddy complied and spread them as far as she could with her pants still on, while one hot hand was placed on the still warm skin of her hip, helping her position herself. Daryl's other hand slid up her back underneath her jacket and sweater to grip her shoulder and to push her torso forward so he'd have a better angle. Before Teddy was able to adjust to the new position, she felt Daryl's cock pushing into her. It hurt a little, because those parts of her anatomy hadn't seen any action in years, but once again she was surprised that she enjoyed feeling the slight stinging sensation. She felt every inch of him stretching her, her walls contracted and she faintly heard him curse behind her while the grip of his hands tightened for a second. She was so damn tight, he was close to losing it then and there. He bit his lip painfully hard to get himself in check a little and he slowly pulled out again until only the head remained inside of her before pushing in again, repeating the slow movements a couple of times until he felt himself slide into her more easily and Teddy started pushing back against him, silently begging him to give her more. Daryl grabbed her hips with both hands now and started moving inside of her in a steady rhythm, a low grunt leaving his body with every thrust. He was losing his mind, she felt so damn good with her tight walls clenching around him, it was so much better than the fantasy. He picked up speed, her moans and the sound of flesh slapping against flesh spurring him on, the urge to coat her walls in his semen was burning him from the inside out. His eyes screwed shut tightly when he felt his climax nearing way too soon, but he wasn't able to hold out, he was too far gone, he'd lost himself completely in her. He pulled her hips harder against his groin, almost lifting her feet off the ground in the process, making Teddy lose her balance and scratch her cheek against the rough bark of the tree. But in that moment Teddy didn't care, she was under his spell. He could do to her whatever he wanted and she would revel in it. He started pounding her hard, his face a scrunched up mask of intense pleasure and all Teddy was able to do was hold on to that goddamn tree and bite her lip to keep from screaming. Suddenly his hand closed around her throat and he yanked her up, his teeth sinking back into her neck when he came, grunting loudly against the skin that was caught between his teeth. Teddy felt his dick spasm inside of her while he filled her with his seed and the feeling made a smile come to her lips, while she gasped for breath. His hand on her throat wasn't cutting off her air supply, he was just holding her, his thumb was rubbing over the skin of her throat softly and somehow the dominance he was showing touched something inside of her. Again he was giving her something she had missed without knowing it. She wasn't able to describe it, but she felt protected, taken care of and weirdly relaxed for lack of a better word while he held her like that. She was a little sad when he released his hold on her and withdrew from her body completely. She heard the rustling of clothes and the jingling of his belt buckle and she quickly steadied herself and pulled up her panties and jeans to get dressed as well. She felt her underwear being drenched by his cum leaking out of her and she made a mental note not to have sex with him again until she had the opportunity to freshen up. She turned around to face him and saw his eyes widen in horror.

“Holy shit. Why didn't ya stop me?” he asked angrily while he turned her head to the side, trying to take a closer look at the scratches on her cheek in the dim light. “Ya said ya would stop me,... fucking hell. I knew this shit would happen. That's why I didn't wanna kiss ya in the first place.”

“Hey, stop that, okay? I'm fine. If I would have wanted to stop, I would have told you. “ Teddy shot back. She was still full of confusing emotions and she wasn't as good at handling his mood swing as she usually was. “That's two nights worth of my cooking already, wanna make it a hat-trick? Please, just calm down for a minute, alright. You didn't do anything wrong.” Teddy knew he was angry at himself, but she didn't want him to blame himself and beat himself up over a couple of scratches.

“Yeah I did,... “ he mumbled regretfully. He'd done everything wrong. He had lost control, he had taken advantage of her, he had hurt her and yelled at her and he hadn't even made her cum. He'd just taken what he'd needed and had left her wanting and scratched up. He was a Dixon after all. One of the biggest fuck-ups in history of mankind. He would never be able to forgive himself, especially not in the morning when the booze was completely gone from his system. 

“Come on.” he nodded his head in the direction of his truck. “Gotta get ya to ma truck, clean those scratches.” He turned around and started walking, he was too ashamed to take her hand. 

Teddy sighed deeply in frustration. 'Here we go again. One step forward, two steps back.' she thought, a little saddened by his behavior, but she couldn't blame him. She knew what kind of man Daryl was and she knew what she would get herself into by getting involved with him. He just needed to learn that he was good and learn to trust her when she told him that he was a good man. From the looks of it, it would be quite the learning curve, but she was more than willing to help him out. She wanted him in her life more than anything. She wouldn't give up that easily.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Hold that to yer face so I can look at 'em scratches.” Daryl pressed the camping lantern he'd brought into her hands.

“I'm fine, I barely feel it. I'll put some Neosporin on it in the morning, nothing else we can do anyway.” She felt fine. It stung a little, but it wasn't bad. When Daryl shot her a look she quickly held the lantern up next to her cheek and let him examine the scrapes. 

“I think I got some antibacterial wipes in the first aid kit.” He murmured and jumped off the truck bed to get it from where it was stashed underneath the seat. A minute later he climbed back up and sat in front of her on the mattress. Teddy sat with her legs crossed indian-style and Daryl spread his legs wide and scooted closer to her until her knees touched the backs of his, enclosing her between his long limbs. The thought that she might want to clean those scratches herself, so he wouldn't touch her, crossed his mind, but he ignored it. He needed to be the one to do it, he needed to make it better after causing them in the first place. He tore open one of the little packets and pulled out the wipe, hesitantly holding it up an inch from her face and searched her face for a sign that she really didn't want this. Teddy's lips were stretched by a gentle smile, though and she gave him a little nod, silently telling him to go ahead.

“Might sting...” 

“I know.” she smiled and held still while he carefully wiped her cheek. 

“I'm sorry.” he mumbled when he was done, looking down at his lap.

“Stop!” Teddy put her hand on his jaw and tilted his head up so he would look at her. “I enjoyed myself. A lot.” she blushed and giggled lightly. “I'll admit that I am surprised by just how much I enjoyed it and by that I don't mean being with you, I mean how rough it was. Okay, I guess what I am trying to say here is, that I really really liked what we just did, no regrets and I just wanna eat you up and wrap myself around you and never let you go. And damn, that sounds stalkery... I don't know what to say. I just really like you. I want this, okay? Or... did you change your mind? Do you regret it?” Teddy was suddenly a puddle of insecurity, scared that he'll back out. She was relieved when she saw him shake his head no.

“Only thing I regret is doin' that to ya.” he said with his finger pointing at her scratched up cheek.

“You didn't do it on purpose, wasn't even really you, Daryl. I just lost my balance. I had a shitty boyfriend once, I know the difference between an accident and hurting somebody on purpose and this was clearly an accident. It happened in the heat of the moment. You have to trust me that I will stop you as soon as you do something I am uncomfortable with. I don't want you to beat yourself up over this.” Teddy's big green eyes looked into his imploringly and Daryl took a deep breath and nodded.

“Okay. Ya really have ta. Alright? Stop me if it gets too much, I mean.”

“I will. Promise.”

“Yer brother is gon' kill me.”

“No he won't. He'll understand. They've had sex accidents, too. He almost took Maggie's eye out with a vibrator once.” Teddy laughed.

“Aw hell. You serious? How the fuck he do that?” Finally a little smile parted Daryl's lip and he visibly relaxed and his fingers slowly slid on her legs, tracing patterns on the inside of her knees.

“I can't tell you that, it's pretty intimate. I don't think Billy knows that I know. Maggie confided in me while she was a little tipsy. But see? These things just happen, we laugh it off and move on.”

“So ya still want this then? The whole datin' me thing? 'Cause I guess this first one didn't go over too well.”

“What are you talking about? It was great. It IS still great. Forget about these damn scratches right now or you'll be in for three meals this week.” She laughed when he groaned loudly.

“No thanks, two is enough already. Really gotta start watchin' that shit.” Daryl shuddered at the thought of having to go through two more meals of hers. He had to admit, it really was a good punishment. “So, what will ya bless me with this time?”

“Not sure yet. Pancakes maybe. Potato salad. There are just so many options.”

“Ya can ruin pancakes?” Daryl still wasn't able to wrap his mind around it that she indeed was a terrible, terrible, terrible cook.

“Are you seriously still surprised?” Teddy asked with a laugh.

“I jus don't get it. Yer a damn doctor for fuck's sakes. Yer smart, how can ya not get cookin'?”

“Don't know. It's just not happening.” Teddy shrugged and uncrossed her legs and put them over his so she could scoot closer to him until she was able to hug him and their chests were pressed against each other. “I'm not even sure I wanna cook for you. You punished yourself more than enough just now.”

“Maybe just the pancakes instead of two meals?” he smiled with a hopeful expression while he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“You're so cute, you know that?” she giggled at his enthusiasm of not having to eat too much of her home-cooked food.

“Ya should check yer own eyes or have yer daddy check 'em for ya.” Daryl scoffed, but his cheeks still grew heated at her little compliment.

“My eyes are perfectly fine, Daryl. You wanna do this with me, you're gonna have to learn to live with me telling you how hot you are.” 

“Stop.” he smirked and squeezed his arms around her harder in warning. He tensed a little when she pressed her lips against his again, still spooked from what happened not even twenty minutes ago, but he relaxed after a moment when he didn't feel that feral urge to take her flare up. The animal inside of him was relaxed, sated and purring contentedly for now. Teddy smiled against his lips when she felt his disposition change from anxious to laid-back, she had been a little nervous about maybe having to convince him to kiss her every single time while this was still new, because he might be scared of losing control too easily again. Man, did she hope he would lose control again soon. The guy was as much of a wild animal as he was shy on other occasions. Such a weird, but incredibly attractive contradiction.

Her hands found their way into his soft hair again and Teddy let her fingers play with the dark strands, all the while their tongues found their way back to each other and licked at each other lazily. Daryl's hands rubbed along Teddy's thighs all the way up to the crease where her thighs met her core. He didn't touch her center, he just gently let his thumbs stroke back and forth along those creases while they made out. Teddy later pulled away when things got more heated and she heard Daryl growl again. She had no idea if it had been minutes or hours of kissing him and playing with his hair, but from the way their lips were swollen and his hair was in complete disarray, it might have been a while. It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep with him again right then and there, but she was still very aware of their mixed fluids coating her panties and her skin and she didn't feel comfortable with letting him back there before she had a shower. So before things went too far, she plopped on her back and looked up at the stars.

“This is really beautiful.” she smiled when she looked up at the sky, while she laid on her back with her legs still wrapped around Daryl's waist. He nodded with a smile and just kept caressing her. He was really happy to have her here in his happy place, far away from civilization and all the bullshit that came with it. Maybe she'd be cool with coming here with him more often. She had a stressful job and this was as peaceful as it got, it might do her some good every once in a while. 

“Do you know anything about stars?” She asked him after a moment of silence.

“Nah, just like lookin' at 'em sometimes when I'm out here over night.”

“You spend a lot of time here, don't you?”

“Yeah.” he looked down at her just when she lifted her arms to rest them behind her head. Her sweater hiked up and bared a strip of that deliciously velvety skin of hers. Daryl's right hand immediately moved higher to traced his index finger along that bit of skin. He felt his animal instinct slowly rousing from its slumber and it was making him nervous. He withdrew his hand quickly and placed it on her knee, letting his other hand do the same. 

“So you do this a lot? Throw a mattress in the back and come here?”

“Sometimes, but mostly I come here for huntin'. Been huntin' all ma life. Pretty much started the day I got outta diapers. I like it. Clears ma head. And meat ain't exactly cheap no more, ya know? Good way ta save money. Also a good way ta make money.” he inconspicuously took deep breaths and focused on answering her question to get his mind out of the gutter. 

“What do you mean? How do you make money out of it? Do you sell the pelts or the meat?”

“I sell the whole animal. Sometimes somebody comes up ta me and asks me to hunt something for them. Pays good.”

“I can imagine. Can't you make that your dayjob? If it pays well and you love being out here so much?”

“I wish I could fucking do that, but there ain't that much demand for it.”

“Too bad. But you still like working at the shop, right?”

“Yeah, I do. Just the pay is kinda shitty.”

“I know, Billy has a hard time making ends meet sometimes when something unexpected comes up.”

“Sure yer parents help out with that.” Daryl said in a bit of a deprecating tone, making Teddy frown.

“No, actually they don't. Even if they wanted to, he wouldn't accept it. Hey, just because our parents are rich doesn't mean that we are spoiled little rich kids. You have to give us some more credit than that.”

“Sorry... just assumed.” Daryl apologized, but he suddenly couldn't ignore the fact that Teddy made more money than him. Probably a lot more. He didn't know how he felt about that, guess he had to wait and see how things would go and worry about shit like that when it came up.

“You assumed wrong. Okay, not entirely wrong. They paid for our education, well, more like for my education, but as soon as I started making money I paid for myself and so did Billy.”

“Why are the two of ya so different? You're twins, aren't you supposed ta do the same shit? Be equally smart?” Daryl asked with a frown while he wondered how that twin-stuff worked.

“It's not like that. We are two individual beings Daryl. We each have our own interests and experiences. Sometimes they match, but often they don't. Billy is smart, he just opted out of going to college. He wanted to work with his hands, make money, be independent. I've always wanted to work in medicine, so I took the necessary steps to do so. Needless to say who my parents supported more. That's something Billy resents me deeply for. Me and our parents.” Teddy sighed sadly.

“Sounds like the man made his choice. Can't blame you for that. Ain't right.”

“I know. And deep down he knows that as well, but he can't help how he feels. Sometimes it comes up and he gets angry about it.” Teddy told him and Daryl just nodded. He kind of understood where Billy was coming from. Daryl himself wasn't exactly a poster child for rational thinking when his anger got the better of him. He untangled Teddy's legs from his waist and laid on his back next to her after grabbing a sleeping bag, unzipping it and draping it over their legs.

“Ya gonna tell me why he's southern and you're a New Yorker now? Ya said it was a long story and we ain't got nothin' but time now.”

“Alright.” Teddy smiled. “Originally we're all from San Diego. We were born into money so to speak. My father inherited a shitload of money from his grandparents when he was younger and he handled it well. He's always had his own practice, people liked him, so the money kept rolling in. My mother made the social rounds, organized charity events and shit like that. She liked to dress us up and show us off, her precious little twins. Well, she doesn't really get any credit for us, we had a nanny that raised us while she organized all kinds of fundraisers. It was like some bad shit you see on TV everyday. The perfect family. Yeah well, Billy and I hated it with a passion. More and more with each year we got older. Our parents loved us, we knew that, but they were never there, never really present. So they didn't really had a grip on us, you know? So we spiraled out of control. Billy and I were always together. Every minute of every day from the minute we were born. We got up to all kinds of stuff together. Never really anything good. We rebelled. We broke shit. We misbehaved in public, said rude things. We were spoiled little rich kids and we were desperately crying for attention. We never got it. By the time we were 13 we ran with a pretty bad crowd. We were drunk every other day after school. We took ecstasy every weekend or smoked pot or both. We painted the town red. Literally. We vandalized some buildings. It just kept getting worse and worse. Billy and I were each others instigator and enabler. There was no stopping us. Until we got arrested.” Teddy told her tale and Daryl stared at her with wide eyes. He had NOT seen this coming.

“We were so damn lucky. The officer that arrested us was a poker buddy of my dads. He didn't write a report, he just delivered us to our parents in handcuffs and had a very serious talk with Mom and Dad. He kind of shook them awake, told them they had to do something or they'd be planning our funeral soon with the speed that we were going down that bad road at. So they did something. They decided to move, to take us out of that environment completely. They also decided that Billy and I had to be separated for our own good. So they sent me to boarding school in New York and they took Billy and moved here, thinking that small town life would be best for him. So that's why we have different accents and why we have different lives, I guess.” Teddy concluded and looked at Daryl, laughing a little at his stunned expression. “Yeah, didn't expect that, did you?”

“Never. Fuck, Doc. I thought ya were this pretty little, docile doe. Ya were a fuckin' wild child.”

“I was, but really not in a positive sense. You know, Billy and I suffered, like really really suffered for a long time because we were separated and we both hated our parents for that for long years, but in the end I think they really made the right call. They had to do it, they wouldn't have stood a chance against the two of us. History just would have repeated itself. It wasn't like it is now. Now the two of us barely stand a chance against them and that's the way it's supposed to be I guess. I would never admit that in front of them, though.” she smiled.

“Makes sense.” Daryl agreed. “There's one thing I don't get. Why did they send ya to freaking boarding school and yer brother got ta stay with yer parents and went to normal school here?”

“Because I was the bigger problem. Out of the two of us Billy is the docile doe, if you wanna put it that way. I was the one that needed more discipline and structure, so I was the one who had to go. It wasn't that bad. I got back on track, got good grades, got accepted to a good college and the rest is history.”

“You ain't takin' drugs no more, are ya? 'Cause I'd have a big problem with that.” Daryl looked at her seriously. He liked her, but he wouldn't have another addict in his life.

“No of course not, Daryl. I've never done any hard drugs and I haven't taken any since I was 13. And I also barely drink any alcohol anymore. Only a glass of wine for dinner or a beer at a party like today. Nothing to worry about, I'm clean as a whistle, honey.”

“Good.” Daryl said and took her hand to lift it up to his lips and press a soft kiss against her knuckles. “I'll make sure it stays that way.”

“You do that.” she giggled and snuggled deeper under the sleeping bag. She was getting sleepy and cold. “What was your youth like? Apart from the obvious?”

“Don't know what ta tell ya. Guess I did what every kid around here did. Hung out with them, smoked, got dumb-ass tattoos, tried to stay away from home and away from trouble. Spent a lot of time in the woods even then. All of us had shotguns before we had our first wet dream, went out and did target practice or went squirrel hunting. Was okay I guess, as long as I didn't have ta go back home. Was just me and Pa by then.” he told her while he kept his eyes on the sky. When she still remained quiet after a couple of minutes he turned his head to his left to look at her and saw that her eyes were closed. Daryl carefully pulled the sleeping bag higher, up to her chin and pressed another kiss to the hand he was still holding. “Good night, Doc.... Teddy.” He added her name quietly. It felt weirdly intimate to him to call her by her name, that's why he avoided it. It was stupid, he'd fucked her against a tree like there would be no tomorrow and yet he had a hard time calling her by her name? He really was all kinds of fucked up in the head, he thought while he turned his head back to look to the sky and the stars.

###### ####### ####### ###### ######## ######

Teddy woke up when the sunlight hit her face. She turned away from it with a groan and was startled when she connected with something warm and solid.

“Better get up.” She heard Daryl's raspy voice and slowly opened her eyes to see him smirk. “Gotta get rid of the panda that sneaked in here last night.”

Teddy blinked confused and yawned. “What the hell are you talking about? A panda? How would a panda even find its way to the woods of Jasper?”

“You tell me.” He grinned and wiped underneath her eye with his thumb before he held it up for her to see. There was a black smudge staining his skin now and Teddy laughed and shoved him against his chest.

“Very funny. Sorry I didn't carry eye make-up remover wipes in my pockets.” She stretched out her limps thoroughly before she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down for a little kiss.

“Don't worry about it.” he smiled when they broke apart again. “Looks kinda cute. Ain't that bad anyway.”

“Yeah, shouldn't be. It's waterproof. Except for the eyeliner.” she kissed him again and smiled.

“Wanna come to my place for breakfast?”

“Punishment Pancakes?” he groaned like he was in pain.

“Oh my God, that sounds like it could be a thing.” Teddy burst out laughing. “Punishment Pancakes. I love it. That's what we're gonna do from now on when you get mean. But I thought we could just have a regular breakfast. Got everything at home and you can make the eggs if you want to. Mine always turn out wrong. No surprise there I guess.” she said while she sat up and wiped underneath her eyes with her fingers to get rid of the smudges as best as possible for now.

“Sounds good.” Daryl nodded and followed suit. “Panda's gone.” he grinned when she was done removing the eyeliner stains.

“You're lucky that you're so goddamn cute.” Teddy shook her head with a giggle and kissed him. Their lips parted and their tongues met for a second before Teddy broke the contact and laughed. “I'm starving and in dire need of a shower. We better go. Come on.”

“Fine.” he pouted, sad that they would leave the woods now, but his stomach was growling just like hers and the promise of a good breakfast made his mouth water. So Daryl jumped off the truck bed and helped Teddy down so they could drive back into town.

####### ######## ####### ######## ########

“Okay, bacon is grilling in the oven, you're taking care of the eggs, I'll make coffee when the food is ready. Do you mind if I take a quick shower? I'll just be like five minutes.” Teddy had wrapped her arms around his waist, her chin resting against his cheek while she smiled up at him.

“Five minutes? Ain't ever known a woman to be done in five minutes. Splashin' water in yer face ain't countin' as a shower, Doc.” he smirked, his arms hanging loosely by his side, not returning her hug. He didn't trust himself, the need to have her again was bubbling up inside of him and he was still a little scared by how rough he'd been with her in the woods.

“Ha ha,... okay I'll have to get undressed and redressed so let's say ten minutes. Okay?”

“Yeah, go ahead.” 

Teddy cradled his face and kissed him softly, sighing deeply with happiness. She released him and stepped away from him and then startled him by rushing back and stealing another kiss quickly. “One more for the way.” she giggled, making Daryl smile and shake his head when she finally did leave the kitchen and he made them some scrambled eggs.

When Teddy came back in almost exactly ten minutes later, Daryl nearly dropped the spatula. She was trying to kill him. She was wearing shorts again. Short shorts, more like black velvet hot pants and a white tank top and clearly no bra underneath. Her nipples were outlined perfectly by the thin material. His jaw tensed and he heard and felt his blood rush in his ears as the animal in him woke up with a loud roar, lust and desire spiking immediately when memories of last night hit him. He wanted her and he needed her, right the fuck now. He'd been on edge ever since he'd had her tongue in his mouth briefly before they came back to town. 

“Mmmm, smells good in here.” Teddy smiled and padded up to her coffee maker on bare feet, letting her hand rub over his back when she passed him. Daryl's movements were calm and very controlled when he put the spatula down on the counter next to the stove, moved the pan with the scrambled eggs to the sink and turned off the stove and the oven. Teddy was oblivious to what he was doing, she was busy choosing what kind of coffee she wanted for breakfast.

“Hm, Dark Rost, Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Latte Macchiato,... I think I'll have Hazelnut. What do you want?” she asked, not aware that he was already right behind her. 

“No coffee, that's for fucking sure.” he said, his voice dark and gravelly. He put his hands on her waist and turned her around to face him and before she knew what was happening one of his hands had grabbed her hair and tugged on it to tilt her face up to meet his. His lips slammed down on hers, his tongue invading and conquering the depths of her mouth to tangle with hers. Teddy clutched his biceps desperately, hating that they were for once fully covered by fabric. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, so her fingers quickly traveled to the buttons of his shirts, nimbly opening them and tugging his shirt out of his pants so she could unbutton it all the way and slide it off his arms. Her palms flattened over his chest and she groaned in frustration when she felt yet another layer of clothing separating her hands form his naked chest. The sound and her urgency in ripping his wife-beater off made Daryl chuckle against her lips and he released her for a second to help her undress his upper half. He took the opportunity to rid her of her top as well and his eyes darkened with lust when he gazed at her bare breasts. Teddy almost fell back against the counter, the only thing saving her from smashing her back against the edge was slinging her arms around his neck when he grabbed the backs of her thighs and lifted her, smashing her center hard against his groin.

He carried her over to the kitchen table that thankfully hadn't been set yet. The only thing on it was the small vase with the purple wildflower he'd given her. The fact that she still had it, even though it had started to wilt sent another rush through him and he kissed her passionately while he set her down on the wooden table top. His head ducked down, his hands pushing up her breasts to meet his mouth. Teddy moaned when she felt his tongue lap at her right nipple, but that moan quickly turned into a little scream, when his teeth dug into the sensitive peak and she tugged on his hair hard in response. Daryl growled and hooked his fingers into the waistband of her hot pants, yanking them off her hips, including her underwear, with a couple of hard pulls.

“Daryl...” she wanted to tell him to slow down a little, but he pressed his lips against hers again, his hands grabbing frantically at her legs, hoisting them up around his waist. 

“Fucking want ya, girl.” he rasped against her lips while he unbuckled his belt. He wanted to take his time with her and suck and bite on all the spots he'd fantasized about, but he couldn't help himself, he couldn't wait to be inside of her again. It was a burning urge and he felt that he'd just die if he wouldn't act on it. Just one more time like this, he told himself while he pulled his cock free of its confines. 

Teddy was sheer overwhelmed by his intensity and just clung to him, holding on for dear life while he sucked on her nipples and squeezed her legs hard after freeing his erection. She reached down, wrapping her hand around his throbbing member, relishing in the deep groan she tore from Daryl in the process. His hand clamped down on her wrist a moment later and he looked at her fiercely. “Don't!” He took both her hands and lifted them up to his shoulders while his mouth went to her neck, sucking and nibbling on the soft skin there. Teddy shivered and looked down between them. Wetness pooled between her legs when she saw his cock. He looked like he was ready to burst. Leaking pre-cum, the tip was purple already and looked like it hurt. It made her understand his urgency, he needed release badly. Slowing down was not an option for him, so she didn't stop him when he aligned himself with her opening and slowly pushed himself between her soft folds.

Teddy hissed and winced when she felt him spreading her again. She hadn't realized how sore she was from their first encounter and she could have used some more foreplay now to get ready for him. Her nails dug into his shoulder, making Daryl groan against her neck.

“Fuck... need ya so fucking bad. Am I hurtin' you?” he groaned while he kept pushing himself deeper with little persistent thrusts. 

“It's okay... just try to go slow at first.” Teddy gasped while she felt heat spreading from her belly throughout her body. The little pinpricks and the stretching burn he was causing with his penetration excited her deep down and she felt the sharp pull of arousal making her core tingle. It felt great, but it also confused her to no end. He let her feel his raw desire, his purely masculine strength and male dominance. She used to hate that with her ex, but Daryl did it so naturally and in a non-threatening way, that it turned her on, much to her own surprise. She felt herself get wetter, making him penetrate her easier and she soon felt his slow movements get more strained.

“It's okay... it feels good, just let go.” she moaned encouragingly. Daryl stopped for a moment and wrapped his arms around Teddy, holding her as close as possible.

“Look at me.” he commanded her and rested his forehead against hers. Teddy forced her eyes open and looked into his beautiful blue orbs, a gasp escaping when he thrust himself into her balls deep with one long stroke, while his eyes gazed deeply into hers. He built a steady rhythm, going as deep as possible with every thrust, keeping his eyes on hers, connecting them, all the while being able to detect any discomfort immediately. 

But there no longer was any discomfort, only pleasure. He felt so damn good moving inside of her, setting all her nerve endings on fire, she eventually wasn't able to keep her eyes open any longer. She just let the pleasure wash over her and enjoyed how good he made her feel. She loved how close he held her to his body and she helped along by wrapping her legs around him as hard as possible while her nails were raking over his shoulders and biceps.

“You close?” she heard his voice a second after she had felt is pace quicken. She wasn't close, not even close to close. It didn't work for her that way, never had. She knew she wasn't the easiest person to give an orgasm to. It even took her a while when she masturbated, so in the past she very rarely had had an orgasm with her partners, they hadn't been interested in putting the work in. Still she enjoyed sex very much, the closeness, the intimacy and the sensations. She didn't know what to answer, this was a discussion for another day and right now she didn't want to bruise his ego, but she didn't want to lie to him either. 

“Don't worry about me, honey. Just let go.” she told him in a breathless whisper. Only moments later she felt his steady rhythm falter. His eyes squeezed shut and his hold on her tightened as a staccato of grunts were pressed out between clenched teeth in sync with his release. He loosened his arms around her and slumped forward, resting his forehead against her shoulder. Teddy smiled and gently stroked his back and his arms and pressed her cheek against the side of his head. 

“That was nice.” she smiled softly, but Daryl didn't respond. Too bad that she wasn't able to look inside his head. She might have been able to understand his following actions better if she would be able to read minds. 

As soon as Daryl's breathing had returned to normal he had withdrawn himself from her body and had gotten dressed. He just didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. He had done it again, lost control and taken her just like in the woods. At least he hadn't scratched her up this time. But that wasn't even the worst of it. While he'd been inside of her and had looked into her eyes he'd been hit with all kinds of emotions. They were new, completely foreign and so damn intense that it was overwhelming and he didn't know how to figure them out or how to handle them. His whole world was in a big jumble all of a sudden. All he wanted to do was run and hide and figure this shit out. And so he did. He ran.

“Gotta go.” he told a stunned Teddy, who was still perched on the kitchen table, buck naked. She crossed her arms over her chest and closed her legs quickly, feeling extremely vulnerable when his gruff words registered in her brain. He was leaving? Now? What the hell... before she was able to even make sense of what was happening, he was gone, the door to her apartment startling her when it slammed shut with a loud bang. She stared at the empty space in front of her wide eyed, incredibly confused and she couldn't help but feel used and worthless. She fought hard against them, but eventually a sob wracked her body and tears spilled out of her eyes. Instead of having breakfast with the man that made her so happy she could scream just by standing next to him and looking at him, she sat naked on her kitchen table and cried. 

####### ###### ####### ####### ####### ###### ########

Daryl knew he had made the biggest mistake of his life by leaving. Once again he had acted before thinking things through. For god's sakes he had fucked her like a horny dog again and then he'd just left her sitting there instead of trying to talk to her. Why hadn't he just thrown some money at her to make her humiliation complete? He'd treated her worse than Merle had treated his whores. He'd been overwhelmed and scared out of his mind. He still was. He'd never been good with feelings and he had been glad that he never really had to deal with them. There hadn't been happiness in his life until now, only hurt, disappointment, sadness and anger and he knew how to deal with those. He just didn't know how to deal with all this new stuff. When he'd had sex with Teddy just now and they had connected, his heart had done funny things. It had swelled and constricted and skipped a beat and then it had beat harder than it ever had in his entire life. It wasn't just lust he felt for her. He had real feelings for Teddy and at the same time when he had realized that little fact, he had been struck by intense fear of her not reciprocating and by fear of losing her and all of that had happened so damn fast in such a goddamn rush of emotions, that he just didn't know how to get a grip on it all. And now he had fucked it all up with no one else to blame but himself. He was the stupidest, most childish and most emotionally stunted man in the world. He just kept sabotaging himself and now he had lost the best thing that had ever happened to him. The only thing that had ever made him feel happiness. He would deserve every bit of hate he was sure to have coming his way. She would tell her brother for sure. He was ready for it though. If he got a wrench to the head it would be very much deserved. Maybe he should just move into the woods or just get out of Jasper altogether. People already hated him, if the news of him screwing over Teddy would spread, they would wanna lynch him.

###### ###### ######## ###### ####### ###### #######

Teddy had walked around her apartment like a zombie all Sunday long. Daryl hadn't called and she just had no idea what had gone wrong. What had she done to make him pull away like that all of a sudden? She knew she wasn't a very good lay, but still... he could have said more than 'gotta go' before he fled from her apartment. The worst part was, that she didn't have anybody to call and talk to. Annabelle hated Daryl, Maggie would tell Billy and she didn't want Billy to know. He would get involved and give Daryl a talking to. She definitely didn't want that to happen. She would fight her own fights. 

She barely slept and she was glad when morning rolled around and she could go to work. That would distract her and take her mind off of the things that happened. Or so she thought. Of course the news had spread. She and Daryl were the hot new couple in Jasper. The odd and hot new couple. She got a ton of questions and compliments of how cute they were together and all Teddy wanted to do was scream. She also had to explain a thousand times how she got the scratches on her face. Her father and the patients had asked about them and she had said that she had been to the party in the woods and had tripped in the dark. Thankfully nobody had doubted it. The whole people asking her about Daryl wouldn't be the worst part of her day. That part came up right around lunch time. Teddy wanted to slip out to eat at the burger joint, but just when she reached the door she heard her father's stern voice.

“Theodora! A word!”

Teddy sighed deeply and followed her father into his office. “Good Lord, here we go.” Teddy moaned when she saw her mother sitting in one of the two chairs in front of her father's desk. Yes, news had spread fast and of course it hadn't passed by her parents.

“Sit.” her mother ordered her curtly and Teddy sank down on the second chair with her purse in her lap.

“Daryl Dixon? Seriously Theodora? All these perfectly fine and eligible bachelors in Jasper, but no our wonderful daughter ventures over to the next trailer park and finds herself the biggest piece of white trash she can find.” her mother looked at her with an arched eyebrow and an expression of utmost arrogance while she spewed out the hateful words.

Teddy cringed hard. Daryl might have hurt her, but he still didn't deserve what her mother was saying about him. “Don't talk about him like that. You know nothing about him.” Teddy told her sullenly. “He doesn't even live in a trailer park.”

“Oh excuse me. Having an apartment of course makes him an upstanding member of society. Let's just forget his alcoholic father and his criminal drug-addict of a brother, the man has got an apartment, that makes everything so much better.” Bernadette huffed.

“Stop. He is a perfectly fine member of society. He can't choose who is brother and father are, but he choose who he wants to be and he doesn't want to be like them. He is nice and kind.”

“You can't really believe that, Teddy. You have to be smarter than that.” Gerald looked at his daughter imploringly. “Just look at him.”

“Just look at him? Seriously? What is this? Little house in the prairie? Just because he's got wild hair and a couple of holes in his clothes and doesn't talk much he's the fucking town pariah?”

“Language, Theodora. I see that man has got an excellent influence on you already.”

“I am 29 mother and not 9 years old. Which is also kind of a big point here. I am a grown woman. I choose who I date and it is absolutely none of your business. Daryl is a good man. He got injured trying to break up a fight and preventing Billy's place from getting trashed. He helped me setting up my furniture, when you guys didn't want to get your hands dirty, and he did it selflessly, not expecting anything in return. He even offered to take down the fucking trash with him. Did you know that even though his father abused him and treated him like trash all his life, he still desperately wanted to save the guys life? Even after will beat him up at the hospital the night he got admitted? The man is too damn loyal for his own good. He's got morals and honor, maybe even more than you. Don't judge a book by his cover. Just because he is a little rough around the edges it doesn't mean that he is a fucking serial killer, as you so nicely put it, mother.”

“While all of this might be true, Theodora, the man still has a reputation and it is not good. We have a reputation, too. A very good one and we have to uphold that. We worked very hard to get to where we are now and you are actively trying to ruin it. Again. We had to uproot our whole life because of you once before, we are not about to start over again. You can't be seen with that man anymore.” her father told her in his no nonsense voice.

“Fuck you. Both of you. Just go fuck yourselves.” Teddy scoffed and rose up from her chair. She had heard enough. She never should have come to Jasper in the first place. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and that sure had been the truth for her and her parents. She knew she was acting like a child, but it couldn't be helped. If her parents treated her like one, she could damn well act like one. She slammed the office door behind her, just faintly hearing her parents' protests and just went to the park instead of getting something to eat. She didn't want to be around people in that moment. She could have made it easier on herself and could have just told her parents that Daryl didn't want to be with her anyway, but that would mean that she would be giving up on him. She wouldn't do that until she had absolute clarity that he had changed his mind. She felt like throwing up when she remembered that she had to go back to the office and work until five pm, but she'd just have to swallow her problems down and ignore her father and maybe when she went back home she should get her drink on.

She was insanely happy when the last patient left the office and she was able to leave. Her father left at the same time, but he didn't say a word to her. Fine by her. She got in her car and got herself some canned soup for dinner and headed home. She just wanted the soup, a hot bath and some wine and sappy songs.... and Daryl. She desperately wanted Daryl. When she neared her apartment it looked like she would get her wish. There he sat, leaning against her apartment door again and Teddy's stomach did flip-flops inside of her. She was happy to see him, but she was sad, too, because she had a feeling that this might be the last time she'd see him in her apartment.

Daryl got up when he spotted her and his heart broke when he saw how pale, tired and sad she looked. He knew he was responsible and he wanted to kick himself for doing this to her. 

“Hey.” he offered quietly, forcing himself to look at her.

“Hey.” she said softly, mirroring him and leaning against the wall with her shoulder.

“Can we talk?” he asked in between chewing his bottom lip raw.

“Yeah, we should.” she nodded and unlocked the door. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and cry it out, but kept herself from doing so with all she had. They had to resolve this shit and maybe he didn't even want her to get close. “Come on in.” she put on a brave smile and led the way into her apartment, hoping desperately for a good outcome for the conversation they were about to have.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“I'm sorry.” Daryl felt like it was all he ever said to her. It was yelling or doing something stupid and then apologizing and today, for the first time since he started interacting with her, he was able to see very clearly, that she was getting fed up with it. 

“I figured as much. Want some wine or something else?” her voice was dull and it didn't help Daryl much in keeping his hopes up that they might be able to work this out. 

“Nah, didn't come here to drink.” he declined her offer. 

“Sorry, but I'm gonna have some. This day could not have gone worse.” Teddy poured herself a glass of red wine, just when the microwave signaled that it was done heating up her bowl of soup. She got it out, holding the hot bowl between her red potholders and set it on the table next to her glass of wine. She got some bread out and then finally sat down opposite Daryl. “Why did you leave? I've been trying to make sense of it, but all I can come up with is that it must have been the worst sex you've ever had.”

“That ain't it. It wasn't. You know I ain't good at talking. I don't know how to explain it. But I'm real sorry for what I did. I didn't mean ta hurt ya. I knew it was wrong the minute I left.”

“Then why didn't you come back and tried to explain?”

“Dunno. It was all a big-ass clusterfuck in here.” he pointed to his head. Teddy sighed and took a big sip from her wine glass. 

“I like you Daryl. I really, really do, but I'm just a human being like everybody else. I wish I had the patience of a saint, but I don't. There is only so much of this back and forth that I can take. I know trusting me doesn't come easy to you and I am guessing talking about feelings and relationship-stuff and everything is extremely uncomfortable for you, but we are just reaching a point here where you have to make an effort. I get where you are coming from most of the time and I try my best to accommodate you and stay calm and patient, but we can't keep doing this. You can't keep doing this to the both of us. This up and down, happy one minute and then all of a sudden you do a 180 and go off on me and then you apologize and the whole cycle starts over... it just won't work, if we keep that up. Yesterday wrecked me. That was just devastating, Daryl. I felt like a goddamn prostitute and I have no idea what happened with you. So do you think you could at least try to explain?”

“I wanna try, but it might come out wrong.” Daryl was nervous, because he really didn't know where they stood in that moment and it made him jittery about opening up, because he might be pouring his heart out in vain. “I... “ he started and then stopped again. Teddy saw that he was trying to find the right words and just left him alone while she ate some of her soup. She was almost done before his voice caught her attention again. “Fuck, Doc... I just don't know...”

“Then I think we might be done here, Daryl.” she told him, trying to keep her voice steady even though she was dying a little bit inside.

“I don't want that. I wanna stay with ya.” he said with determination, but Teddy just shook her head. 

“I would love that, Daryl. Don't think this isn't hard for me, but it's like I said. We can't keep going like this. And it just won't work if you can't talk to me about things. I know it's hard, but if you can't bring yourself to do it... if you don't want this enough to be able to get the words out, then it's already doomed anyway.” Teddy leaned back with her wine glass in hand and watched him struggle. She could practically see him struggling internally. She knew that he wanted to tell her, but it was like the words got caught in his throat. 

“I got overwhelmed.” he tried again. “Stuff happened when I fucked ya. Like, inside ma head... 'nd ma chest.” he mumbled and felt utterly stupid saying it, but he knew it was necessary or this whole thing with Teddy was over.

Teddy's eyes widened. Sure, it wasn't the elaborate speech one would hope for in this situation, one that explains every single little thing that had happened, but his admission offered enough information for her to glean what might have happened from context. 

“Something good or something bad?” she asked him, trying to get more out of him.

“Good. It was good. It happened... like, in a rush?” he looked at her carefully, trying to see if she got what he was trying to explain. Teddy nodded, telling him to keep going. “I ain't ever had that happenin' before. It was so fucking much that crashed down on me in a second... Freaked me out. Didn't know how ta handle it.”

“But now you do?” Teddy tried hard not to sound too doubtful.

“It fucking surprised me yesterday, my head was too full, I ain't been able ta think straight. Now it's better 'gain.”

“It's better? But not back to normal? You're still confused?”

“Yeah, guess so.” he shrugged and looked at her worriedly. He could tell it wasn't going well. Teddy squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples hard with her fingers, trying to make sense of it all.

“Daryl, I think you need to take some time to think about what you want.”

“I know what I want. I want this. Ta be with you.”

“But if you know for sure that that's what you want, what are you so confused about? What made you run off like that? I don't understand.”

“I was running on instinct. I didn't know how ta act, what ta do, so I ran. Like I said, I didn't know what to make of all this stuff inside of me. Things are so damn different with ya. More intense. Way more intense. I can barely control myself around ya, in case ya hadn't noticed. Ya just do stuff ta me, that's new and I like it and I'm fucking scared of losin' it all again, alright?!” he was starting to lose his temper and his voice rose in volume. He wasn't mad at her, he was mad at himself, because he just wasn't able to explain it all right.

“Okay, that's good, that gives me something to work with.” Teddy said smilingly, making Daryl calm down again.

“Really?”

“Yes. I feel the same. Things with you are so very different than they were with other guys. It is more intense for me too. When you look at me, I get this rush, too. I get so happy, it's insane. And the things you did to me, the way we had sex, I never ever would have let another guy do that.” Teddy was shut up by the horrified look on Daryl's face.

“Ya said you'd stop me if it was too much... that you wouldn't let me hurt ya, but you didn't. Damn, Doc, that can't be happening either. Ya can't let me do shit like t-”

“Stop! I let you explain, now let me explain, okay? Just shut up for a moment and let me finish. Don't freak out, this might come out wrong, too, but I'll try to explain as best as I can. Yes, you hurt me a little when we slept together, but I didn't mind.” she blushed and cleared her throat before she continued. “I liked the way we did it. It turned me on to really feel all of you, every inch, all your strength and your masculinity. It's hard to explain. I never liked guys who were rough or dominant in bed, but I love it with you. You have an inner animal, no doubt about that and it's great and I guess that's why I don't mind when you go alpha male on me, because it comes naturally to you. It's not forced and you do it in a way that is not intimidating or threatening. It is a part of you, not an act. I enjoyed what we did immensely. It was a lot to take, but it wasn't too much, that's why I didn't stop you. You challenge me and you can really trust that I'll say no when the challenge is too much for me to handle. That being said, there are still things we will need to talk about where sex is concerned. I liked it, but we can't do it like that every time-”

“Don't wanna do it like that every time. I didn't wanna do it like that yesterday, not really, jus' wasn't able to control it.” he quickly cut her off, wanting to assure her that he didn't plan on ravaging her like that all the time. He felt bad, even though she kept telling him that she had enjoyed it, it didn't change the fact that he hadn't done anything to help her finish.

“Okay.” Teddy finished off her wine and smiled. “So, are we gonna give this whole thing another try?”

“I'd like that.” Daryl nodded enthusiastically.

“Me, too. But this is really the last chance, okay? No more running off and leaving me to wonder for a whole day what the fuck happened and if I'll ever see you again. I understand that things might be overwhelming, that is perfectly fine, but instead of running off, just give me a sign or tell me that you need to take a moment to figure things out. I'd be the last person to deny you that time to get your head back on straight. I just need to know that we are okay and you just need some time and space to think. I'd rather have you blow up at me and get it out of your system than that running off shit. That fucking hurt.”

“I'm sorry. Won't happen again. I promise. I'm gonna work on all that stuff.” Daryl promised genuinely while he looked into her eyes.

Teddy got up from her chair and walked over to where he sat and planted herself on his lap. Daryl sighed in relief and wrapped his arms around her midsection while hers went around his neck. Teddy pressed herself against him hard and kissed his neck before she buried her face against it. “I've had the worst day. I just wanna lay down and sleep for a month.”

“I'll get outta your hair, let ya sleep.” Daryl mumbled against her shoulder. His hands were rubbing her back and legs comfortingly and Teddy felt tears well up in her eyes. She'd been strong all day and now she was finally crashing at feeling his gentle touch she had been longing for since yesterday morning.

“No, please stay. Lay down with me. I'll order something nice to eat for you, but please don't leave already. I missed you.” Daryl frowned when he heard her voice waver and break and pulled away a little, trying to see her face.

“Look at me.” He ordered softly. Teddy looked up at him and quickly wiped her tears away.

“I'm sorry. It's been one of the shittiest days I've had in a long time.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Wasn't just you. It was everything.” she took a deep breath to calm herself and slowly got off his lap. “What do you wanna eat? Let's order you something, I just wanna be on my couch as soon as possible.”

“Burger's fine.” he didn't care much about food right now, he was just happy that things were looking up again and that she still wanted to be with him.

Teddy picked up the phone and called the burger place and ordered something for Daryl. A half hour later she was curled up on the couch while Daryl quickly ate his food. When he was done he chugged back his iced coke and took the trash to the kitchen so Teddy wouldn't have to deal with the mess later. 

“Good, now come here.” she smiled and scooted over until her back was pressed against the back of the couch. She had a big L-shaped sofa, there was enough room for her and Daryl to fit on it together comfortably. Daryl kicked off his boots and laid on his back next to her, letting her put her head on his shoulder. Teddy closed her eyes and breathed him, her hand slipped underneath his shirt and drew lazy circles on the bare skin of his flat belly. Daryl groaned inwardly when that little touch made him yearn for more. Something was seriously wrong with him. She needed comfort and he was thinking about her hand slipping into his pants and jerking him off.

“This couch might be more comfy than ma own bed.” he said, trying to distract himself from the lust that was spiking inside of him.

“It's nice, isn't it? I fall asleep here a lot. It can be pulled out to be a bed, too. It's bigger than my actual bed when I do that. The only thing that sucks is that it creaks when I move and it wakes me up. That's when I move into my bedroom.”

“Ya pull it out when yer by yerself?”

“Yeah, I like it, it's comfy. I like to roll around in a big field of coziness.”

“Sounds good, so it makes sense I reckon.” Daryl smiled while he stroked his fingers over her arm.

“My parents know.” she murmured next, making Daryl tense up momentarily.

“'Bout us?” he felt Teddy nod against his shoulder and sighed. “Lemme guess. They ain't happy.”

“No, they most definitely are not. Told me that I couldn't be seen with you anymore.” Teddy told him and even though Daryl had known they would be against them being together, it still hurt. He could just imagine what they had said about him.

“What did ya say when they told ya that?”

“I told them to go fuck themselves and left.” Teddy giggled when Daryl bellowed out a laugh and squeezed her tightly against him.

“That's ma girl. Ya really said that? Literally?”

“Yeah. They said that they had a reputation to uphold and that I can't see you anymore and I said fuck you and go fuck yourselves. My mother said some very hurtful things about you. She doesn't even know you. I told them how great you are, but they didn't want to hear it. Fucking bourgeois assholes.”

“What did they say 'bout me?”

“I'm not gonna repeat it. It was bullshit anyway. When they were done with you they told me that I was ruining their lives and that they wouldn't give up what they had worked for so hard because of me again. I just walked out of there. Saw my dad later when I was done with my last patient. He's no longer talking to me.”

“Sorry.”

“It's not your fault, Daryl. I don't even care about them ignoring me. Only means I'll get some peace and quiet and won't get roped into stupid artwork projects or stuff like that.”

“Can't believe ya stuck up for me after what I did ta you.”

“They were being assholes. And it's just not fair, you know? People judging you because of your family? You didn't choose your father or your brother. You are nothing like them, you make a conscious effort not to be like them and yet, people hear your name and they assume the worst.”

“Always been that way. I mean, I get along with a lot of people, but the higher ups, the ones with the suits, they think they're better and just judge.”

“My mom said you look like a serial killer.” Daryl scoffed when she said that, smirking in amusement.

“Guess she's not entirely wrong about that. I don't look like a nice person.” Daryl had to agree on that one.

“Not when you are scowling, no. You look mean as fuck when you scowl. But when we are alone, like now, you look so young and sweet. Especially when you smile. You have the nicest smile... You're so gorgeous. Scowl or no scowl, you're a handsome devil.”

“Ya seriously gotta stop that compliment shit. I ain't much to look at.”

“I told you that you have to get used to it. It's part of this nice little thing we have. Accept it.” she smiled against his shoulder and gently tickled his ribs. Unfortunately he wasn't ticklish, but the sensation still raised goosebumps on his flesh. Teddy lifted her head and gently kissed along his neck up to his ear. Daryl took deep breaths in response and squeezed her tighter.

“How you doing on your control?” Teddy breathed quietly against his ear.

“Not as good as I'd like.” Daryl pressed out between clenched teeth.

“Really? This is enough to get you riled up?”

“Not just that. Ya had yer hand under ma shirt the whole time. Don't know what the fuck is wrong with me.” he groaned, embarrassed that he was acting like a 15 year old teenager instead of a 35 year old grown-ass man.

“It's probably just because everything is new and exciting. I'm sure it'll pass after a couple of times.”

“What if it don't. I had new and exciting with girls before. Never turned into a fucking animal with any of 'em. Just you. It's fucking strong.”

“There's nothing wrong about that, like I said, I liked it, but we still gotta work on getting you to control yourself better. I don't mean to pile on here, but I am sore as hell after doing it twice like that in a row.”

“Fuck. I ain't that selfish, usually. I didn't ever wanna treat a lady like that.”

“It's gonna be okay. We can work on that. It's gonna be fun working on that, don't you think?” she giggled and looked up, seeing a grin spread on his face.

“Hell yeah it's gon' be fun. Maybe we should come up with one of 'em safe words.” he suggested.

“You know what, that might not be a bad idea. What should we use?” she shifted and moved to lay half on top of him, putting her hands on his chest and resting her chin on it.

“Gotta be something we don't say much.”

“Okay, so Sex God is out.” she laughed when he smacked her butt with a mock serious expression on his face.

“Be serious. Gotta be something I recognize immediately. Something that'll make me stop right away.”

“How abouuuuut fire alarm?”

“Yeah, that might work. That'll definitely get my attention. You gon' be able to remember that?”

“Sure.” she giggled. “Hey, seriously though, we don't need a safe word. I trust you. I trust you to stop when I tell you to and I trust you to stop as soon as you notice that I'm uncomfortable. And so will I if you tell me to stop or I notice you're not into something. A couple should know each other well enough to notice those things. If they don't, well then they shouldn't even be doing things they might need a safe word for anyway.”

“Guess that's right, but do ya honestly think we're there yet? That we know each other that good?”

“Of course not. But we'll get there and I don't think that we'll be doing things we might need safe words for until we get to that point. Do you?”

“With the way I've been...”

“Daryl, if I shout no and shove you off of me, I'm pretty sure you'll get the message. Just relax, okay? Don't stress yourself out. Everything will be fine.” she smiled and moved to straddle him. “I'm gonna kiss you now and we won't be doing anything else tonight, because I am seriously tired. Might be a nice little exercise for you to not let your urges win right now.”

“That's just fucking evil, Doc.” he grinned, but already put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her down to meet his mouth, but Teddy quickly traced her tongue along his soft lips before they had the chance to press down on hers. Daryl groaned and tightened his grip on her neck. “You're making it harder on purpose.”

“You'll survive. Relax.” Teddy giggled against his lips, before she shut him up with her lips. Daryl did pretty well while they exchanged soft kisses and enjoyed just being close for a while, but when their kisses deepened and their tongues roamed and caressed each other it got really hard for him to stay in control. The heady rush of primal lust shot through his veins, leading him towards his animalistic high. Teddy felt it when his breathing and his grip on her changed. His hands wandered down to her hips and pushed her down hard against his loins with a growl. He groaned in frustration when she didn't move against him, so he pushed and pulled at her to get her pelvis moving. Teddy didn't stop kissing him while she put her hands on his arms and traced them down until she was able to take his hands into hers. She gently bit his tongue while she moved their linked hands up over his head.

“Easy, honey. No funny business.” she said against his lips and almost laughed when he shot her a pouting look.

“This really ain't affecting ya at all?” he asked frustratedly.

“It does affect me. I want you, trust me I do, but I was serious about being tired. And you need to learn to get a grip on yourself when we're together like this. But see? You're doing really good. You stopped immediately. No safe word needed.” She was smiling so big it was impossible for Daryl not to reciprocate. He slowly wrestled his hands free from her grip and rubbed them over her sides.

“Ya do look tired. I should go and let ya get yer rest.”

“You just wanna get out of this little exercise.” She smirked and kissed him again. “Why don't you stay? I'd love to have you next to me tonight.”

“Yeah? Sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay. Let's get you into bed then.” Daryl effortlessly got up from the couch while holding her in his arms and carried her into her bedroom and Teddy almost changed her mind about being too tired to have sex with him, because him being able to do that like it was nothing was seriously hot. Nobody had ever carried her, not in her adult life anyway. She could definitely get used to that.

###### ###### ###### ###### ####### ###### ########

The next morning Wade was sporting a huge, face-splitting grin when Daryl hurried into the auto-repair shop over half an hour too late. Teddy had forgotten to set her alarm and they only woke up because the receptionist from her office called to ask where she was.

“Well, well, well,... that's a first. You being late? What's the matter? Had a physical scheduled with your new doctor girlfriend?”

“You do know that's my sister you're talking about, don't you?” Billy arched his eyebrow at Wade, giving Daryl the opportunity to just quickly walk by them to get to the locker room to get changed, without having to respond. It was obvious how uncomfortable the statement had made the shy redneck. Billy figured that it had to be weird for Daryl to see him there not knowing where he stood on Daryl dating Teddy. 

“Sorry, man.” Wade grinned, showing that he wasn't sorry at all. “I had that line waiting to get out for half an hour. I just had to say it. It was a good one, you gotta admit that. Physical... with the doctor... get it?”

“I'm not an idiot. And again, that's my sister your talking about, so shut it and back off Daryl, alright?”

“Yeah, fine. Didn't mean no harm.” Wade held up his hands in surrender before he went back to work. Daryl soon came back out in his work overall and stood next to Billy to help him with an engine they've been working on.

“So, I guess you and my sister are kind of official now, huh?” Billy asked Daryl, keeping his voice neutral and his eyes on the engine.

“Yeah.” Daryl cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Sorry.”

“No, don't apologize. I ain't one of those brothers. If you guys are happy together, then that's fine by me. My parents are gonna give you more than enough trouble. No need to pile on. And this doesn't have to be weird okay? We're all adults and as long as you treat her right I'll have your back, don't worry.” Billy sent a reassuring smile Daryl's way which made the redneck relax visibly.

“Thanks.”

“Don't mention it. Needless to say, if you hurt her, not even the woods will be safe for you to hide in.”

“If I hurt her I won't hide. I deserve everything I got comin' ta me then.” Daryl said earnestly.

“My parents are on a rampage. Called me yesterday and threw a fit. Teddy's gonna say that she doesn't care, but don't let that fool you. She'll be sad and hurt if they keep it up, which I guess they will. They can be the sweetest people on this planet if they want to be, but they can also be the biggest dickheads in history. I wish they were different, but they aren't. They hear your name and they expect the worst and because of that they won't even give you a chance or give themselves a chance to get to know you. That's their fault, not yours. I know you're a decent man. Eventually they'll crack, especially if Teddy shuts them out of her life. It may take some time but someday they will wanna meet you, but until then you two gotta keep your heads up and stay strong. We gotta take care of her. She has to go to work with our father every single day. It won't be easy for her.”

Daryl just nodded, not knowing what to say. He felt like a jackass, because in his mind, he was majorly fucking up Teddy's life now. Her life is going to get a lot more stressful because of him, she's fighting with her parents because of him. He was being selfish, maybe he should just let her go, leave her alone and let her go back to her old life. Daryl was startled when Billy chuckled next to him.

“Don't even think about it, dude.” 

“What?” Daryl looked at Billy skeptically, wondering if the guy was able to read minds.

“I can see it on your face, man. Don't think you'd be doing her a favor by breaking up with her. She thinks you're worth fighting for. She is nothing if not fiercely loyal. She likes you, so she will do everything to defend you and protect you from all evil bullshit that might be coming your way. If she'd think you weren't worth the trouble she would have dumped your ass right after the first sign of trouble from our folks, but she told them to go fuck themselves. She's all in, dude.” Billy grinned at Daryl's blush. “I'll stop talking now, but I just thought you should know before you do something stupid.”

Another nod from Daryl and the conversation was over. Daryl was glad that Billy had spoken up, though. He hadn't even thought about Teddy WANTING to fight for him. It was still so surreal to him, that she really wanted to be with him and that she thought he was worth something. Enough to let him screw up her life. She deserved so much better than him, but still she chose him and from now on he would make sure to be the best he could be for her. 

####### ###### ###### ###### ####### ###### #######

Teddy had a really bad day at work. Her father wasn't even looking at her and whenever they had to discuss something patient-related, they would pass messages back and forth via their receptionist, who of course wasn't happy with having to play messenger pigeon. Two patients she had treated on Friday and who had to come in for a check-up, even refused to be treated by her and opted for waiting an hour longer to see her father. A person who was having relations with a Dixon obviously could not be trusted, according to some stuck up idiots. Thankfully there were others, who thought it was some kind of cute romance novel shit. They had just kept going on and on about how romantic it was and how amazing for two so very different people to meet and fall in love. Teddy had just smiled and laughed quietly. It was good to see that not everybody was being a close-minded ass. 

Her lunch break she spent on the phone with Billy, who told her about the call he'd received from their parents the night before. He reassured her once more that he was on her side and he'd defend her and Daryl until he'd get blue in the face. After he teasingly reminded her to set her alarm to half an hour earlier if she insisted on giving Daryl a physical in the morning before work.

“God, that was not what happened. We just talked and fell asleep and I forgot to set it. No physicals involved, gutter head.” Teddy laughed.

“That's what everybody here thinks, though. And so did I, but don't stress, I had your boy's back and distracted Wade from talking any more shit.”

“Thanks, I'm sure he appreciated it.”

“Yeah, I think he did. He's a good man. I'm happy for you, I really hope you guys can make it work. This way I won't have to listen to you girls chattering on about girly stuff anymore, I'll have Daryl to talk shop.”

“Already planning double dates, I see.” Teddy grinned with amusement.

“Hell yeah. Still wanna see my sis regularly.”

“You're sweet. It's time for me to go back to work. Talk to you later.”

“Want me to kiss your boyfriend for you?”

“Shut up.” She laughed and hung up. Boyfriend. Was he her boyfriend now? She should discuss that with him later, she decided before she threw out the rest of her lunch and got ready to see her next patient.

###### ####### ####### ####### ######## ########

“There you are, I was just about to call you.” Teddy was incredibly happy to find Daryl standing in front of her apartment door upon opening it after she had heard a knock.

“Hey.” he smiled a little and walked past her into her apartment while she closed the door. “Sorry I didn't call before I came here.”

“Don't worry about it, you can come over anytime.” she walked up to him and slung her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. “Mmmmm,... hi.”

“Bad day?” he smiled and rubbed his hands over her shoulders and down her back.

“Oh yeah. And I guess there will be more of that to come.” Teddy sighed and brushed her nose against his neck, relishing in his smell and his warmth. He grasped her butt in his strong hands and gave it a firm squeeze before he lifted her up. When she had wrapped her legs around him he dropped down on the couch with her.

“Yer daddy givin' you shit?”

“Kind of. By giving me the silent treatment. He won't even talk to me about patients. I have to use Judy, our receptionist, to pass on messages or get questions answered or whatever. It's bullshit. How was your day? Did you get in trouble for being late?”

“Nah, boss didn't even notice. He often don't come in until like noon.”

“That sounds heavenly.” she smiled and started nipping on his neck. He smelled delicious. He must have taken a shower before coming over, he was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of black jeans and his hair was soft and fluffy again. “Did you eat?”

“Yeah. All done.” he sighed, his eyes falling close when Teddy sucked on his earlobe.

“Good.” she kissed her way along his stubbly jaw until she reached his scruffy chin. The tip of her nose ghosted over his lips when she moved higher towards his mouth, tickling him, causing a little grin to part his lips. 

“Miss me today?” he asked. He'd liked when she had told him the day before that she had missed him. It made him feel needed and secretly he really craved that feeling of somebody needing him. 

“Oh yeah. I can't tell you how much.” she smiled and pressed her lips to his gently.

“Try.” he murmured against her mouth with a smile.

“Okay, I missed you like Winnie the Pooh misses his honey when he is out and about in Hundred Acre Wood with Piglet.” she chuckled and got a soft kiss from Daryl as a reward for the explanation.

“One more.” he grinned.

“I missed you as much as it rains in Seattle.”

“That's a lot, ain't it?” his cute little smile was endearing. Teddy couldn't help but kiss him deeply before she answered.

“That's a whole lot, yeah.”

“Works for me.” he grinned, making Teddy laugh. She adored this side of him, she wished he would always be this happy and carefree. 

“Good, now shut up. I have plans for you, honey.” She kissed him and let her tongue roam inside his mouth to help along with shutting him up. The day had been emotionally exhausting for her and she wanted to get lost in Daryl and his wonderfully strong arms.

“Sounds good.” he rasped when they came up for air. “Maybe we can combine them with my plans for you. Bedroom. Now.”

Teddy stayed put on his lap and giggled while she nipped at his neck. “You know the way.”

“Lazy ass.” Daryl chuckled when he got up with her still wrapped around him and went to the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him, relishing in her happy giggle, when he dropped her on her back on the bed with him on top of her. Tonight he would do his damnedest to make her feel good, even if it killed him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

They were rolling around her bed, making out like their lives depended on it, they were all tongues and teeth, desperate hands getting rid of each others clothing piece by piece in quick succession. Daryl was still in his black cotton boxers when he had rid her of her crimson colored lace panties, the last article of clothing she'd had on. Daryl arched his eyebrow at her with an amused expression when he saw the sexy underwear.

“Came prepared, did ya?”

Teddy blushed and shoved him playfully. “Daryl!!! You're making me blush, that's not nice.”

“I like when ya blush.”

“I'm naked and self-conscious and now embarrassed on top of that.” she laughed and crossed her arms over her chest and pulled her legs up to shield her intimate parts from his view.

“Ain't got nothin' ta be embarrassed about. Ya look good.” He kissed her while his hands gently moved her arms away from her naked breasts. Teddy sighed blissfully at the feeling of his warm, calloused hand gliding over her belly to close over her left breast. “Already seen these.” he breathed against her lips, then his hand slid back down her belly slowly and Teddy inhaled sharply when he cupped her sex. “And I already felt this.” his voice had dropped lower a little, the growl returning to it. As soon as his fingers came in contact with the soft flesh between her thighs the strong urge to bury himself inside of her took a hold of him again. Not today, he swore to himself and took a deep breath and withdrew his hand. 

“You okay?” Teddy asked when she felt him tense for a moment.

“Yeah, I will be. Gettin' better at controlling this shit.” he smiled and slowly trailed his lips and tongue down her neck.

“That's right. You're doing real good.” she smiled and let her eyes fall shut and enjoyed his gentle ministrations.

“'s hard, though.”

“I can feel that.” she giggled and moved her leg to rub her thigh along the bulge in his underwear.

“Cut it out. Don't wanna cum in ma damn underwear.” he warned and nipped at her collar bone sharply. Teddy gasped and shivered, her hands holding his head to her.

“Do that again.” she breathed and rubbed her thighs together reflexively when she felt her lower regions start to tingle. Daryl grinned and kissed along her collar bone towards her neck, then he bit down at the juncture of her neck and shoulder and grinned even bigger when he felt the soft skin under his fingers break out into goosebumps while she moaned low in her throat.

“Someone likes a little biting.”

“Only with you.” Teddy smiled. “It's amazing how different it is with you.”

Daryl kissed her deeply in response and brought his hand back to her breast. He squeezed softly, enjoying how the soft globe filled his palm. He broke the kiss and moved his head lower, letting his lips join the hand on her left tit. He kept squeezing rhythmically while he kissed her nipple. He parted his lips, letting his tongue join the party, slowly circling her hardening peak. 

Teddy threaded her fingers through his long hair, massaging his scalp a little and enjoyed what he was doing. It felt nice, almost relaxing and she just kept her eyes closed and breathed deeply. She had never been one to get overly aroused by nipple play. When she got herself off, she always skipped that part. Daryl frowned after a while when he didn't get a whole lot of response from her. He figured that he was doing something wrong, so far every girl he's been with had liked when he'd sucked their tits. Or maybe they had just faked it? He wasn't discouraged, he would just have to find out what she liked.

“Alright, let's try it like this.” he grinned when he had an idea. He sucked his thumb into his mouth and as soon as it was nice and wet, he rubbed and circled her nipple with it. His tongue trailed a long line across her chest over to her other breast. He let his tongue flick her nipple, while his thumb still steadily worked the other one. Then he caught the whole areola between his teeth carefully, but with enough pressure to cause tiny pinpricks of pain that got paired with the pleasure of his tongue toying with the nipple in his mouth. Teddy's eyes shot open and she released a little shout, her hand clutching his hair a little harder now. 

Daryl's right hand left her breast again and slid right between her legs. His lips stretched into a satisfied grin around her nipple when his fingertips were met with moisture at her opening. It wasn't enough tough, she'd need a bit more to be able to take him without pain this time. He knew they probably shouldn't fuck today because of her being sore, but he just had to. He wanted her so goddamn much, there was no way he would be able to hold himself off from taking her. Only if she'd tell him no and so far it didn't seem like that was going to happen. He just wanted to wrap himself around her and hold her as tightly as possible while he buried himself inside of her over and over again until she begged him to stop. 

Teddy was squirming against him while his fingertips massaged her opening. His palm was pressed against her clit, but not enough to cause friction when she rubbed herself against it. What his mouth was doing with her nipple felt really good. His teeth burying themselves into her flesh and his tongue flicking her nipple while he bit her shot straight to her center. She wanted him badly and she got a little impatient. “Daryl please. I want you!” she moaned and tried to get her hands on his boxer-clad erection that was pressing into her thigh.

“Not yet, darlin'.” he smiled after removing his mouth from her breast. “Need ta get you worked up a little more first. Ain't ready ta take me yet.”

She shivered again, his voice and his words made her insides clench pleasurably. So many firsts with Daryl, she was amazed that he was able to make her react by just talking into her ear. Maybe because he rarely ever talked when they were sitting in the kitchen or her living room, but in here he wasn't shy at all and definitely not at a loss for words. It was pretty sexy. She shifted a little when she felt him snake his arm underneath her head. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close to his body, holding her tightly, just like he'd wanted to. One of his legs curled over one of hers, pinning her to the mattress and keeping her from closing her legs. Teddy hissed when he pushed his middle finger inside of her slowly, rotating it a little before he pulled it back out.

“That hurt?” his breath was hot against her ear.

“No, it's just a little tender still.” she gasped and bucked against him when his wet middle finger came in contact with her clit. 

“Feel good?”

“Mhm.” she grunted out and bit her lip when he started rubbing her. Daryl growled when he watched her lustful expression. She had no idea how sexy she was, especially right now. He couldn't stop the rush flowing through him again and what made his control wear even thinner was looking down and seeing his own hand working her sweet little pussy. HIS hand was causing her to moan like that. She was bucking and rubbing up against HIS fingers. Her lust was all for him and it drove him crazy.

“Wanna be inside 'a ya. Wanna fuck ya til ya scream.” he groaned in her ear, while his hand sped up its movements. 

“Do it! Fuck me, Daryl.” Her words made his dick twitch and throb something awful. He released her and knelt between her legs. He shoved his boxers down to his knees and pushed her knees up to her chest so he could position himself. A little part in the back of his mind was relieved when he slid into her way easier than the first two times, knowing he wasn't hurting her this time around, but he forgot all about that quickly, when her wet heat constricted around him to squeeze his hard member. 

“Fuck, Doc. Keep that up and yer gon' make me cum real fast.” he groaned and rested himself on his forearms next to her head, his chest brushing her nipples while he pushed himself inside of her as deeply as the position would allow.

“That's the plan.” She moaned and squeezed her muscles around him again.

“Fucking hell.” he muttered and started pumping his cock into her fast. She was killing him with that squeezing shit. There was no way he would be able to take that for very long. He wanted her to cum with him this time, she'd already been left wanting twice and he wasn't about to leave her hanging a third time, so he reached his right hand between them and pressed his thumb against her clit. 

Teddy was focused on Daryl, though. She watched him and kept squeezing her pelvic muscles rhythmically to massage his cock. She loved how he grunted every time she did it, she loved to give him an extra little spike of pleasure by doing it. 

“You like that baby, don't you?” she moaned breathlessly. “You wanna know what I like?” she asked and got another grunt in return. “I like feeling your cum on my body, baby. When you're there, I want you to pull out and cum all over me.”

“Oh Jesus fucking Christ.” Daryl moaned, his voice starting to get more high-pitched the closer he got to cumming. He slammed her harder and just a few thrusts later he pulled out and used his right hand to pump himself through his orgasm, while he ejected thick, creamy spurts of semen onto her belly right up until the underside of her breasts. He was panting like he'd run a marathon and once his body stilled after being shook by his release, he collapsed on to the bed next to her. He opened his eyes just in time to watch her drag her finger through the mess he'd left and his eyes widened when she brought the digit up to her lips.

“Aw hell, Doc...” he groaned when she sucked the tip of her finger clean.

“Mmmm, not bad.” she giggled and reached for her top that had been thrown on the nightstand and wiped him off of her belly.

“You're unbelievable.” he sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. “Damn, I'm fucking tired now.” he admitted embarrassed when he felt himself becoming sleepy. 

“I'd be surprised if you wouldn't be.” she smiled and rolled over on her side to kiss him. Their tongues danced around each other sloppily, both of them feeling lazy and getting tired. Teddy soon broke the kiss and just looked at him with a big smile on her face. 

“Ya look happy.” he murmured drowsily, two of his fingers caressing her cheek lazily. 

“I am. You really do make me happy, Daryl. I'm glad you're here.” she kissed him again before she remembered that she had to set the alarm. She rolled over towards the nightstand to grab her phone and activate it and when she rolled back towards Daryl, he was already fast asleep. She giggled quietly and gently kissed his cheek before she turned around, but kept her body close to his, her ass firmly snuggled against his hip.

“Goodnight, honey.” she whispered before she fell asleep herself.

######## ####### ###### ####### ###### #######

“Good morning, Judy.” Teddy smiled when she entered the practice the next morning. Even though she didn't feel good about seeing her father again, having woken up next to Daryl and having started out the day by having breakfast with him had put her in a good mood.

“Good morning, Teddy. While you're here, please sign these. It's for the lab for the blood work on Mr. Hainesworth.”

“No problem.” Teddy signed the forms and handed them back to their receptionist. “How's the morning look so far? Who's first?”

“Uhm,...” Judy cleared her throat and looked quite uncomfortable. “Actually, your schedule is pretty freed up. You still have an hour before your first patient comes in. That would be Mandy Mills with her newborn for a check-up.”

“Seriously? More patients cancelled?” Teddy sighed deeply. How was this possible? Was this whole town full of bigoted, intolerant, stuck up assholes like her parents? How can they judge somebody like that. They didn't know her nor Daryl and also her dating choices really shouldn't reflect on her skills as a physician. Idiots. All of them. Her father sure had a ball with this.

“I'm sorry Teddy, I should have called to let you know, but your father said you could use the time to do some paperwork.” Judy said apologetically.

“Of course he did. It's okay Judy. Then just let me know when Mrs Mills and her baby get here.”

“Will do.” Judy nodded and Teddy walked into her office and plopped into her chair. This was not good. Apparently word of mouth was even more important in small towns than it was in a bigger city like Seattle. She couldn't believe that a lot of people would no longer want to have her as a doctor just because she was dating a Dixon, but she knew that only one person was enough to get a bad reputation started. Gossip spread fast in this town, so it really shouldn't be a surprise that it wouldn't be any different in this case. Still she hadn't counted on something like this. It sucked, because it proved her father right. Dating Daryl was ruining her reputation, but did she care? A big fat NO on that one. The only thing that she did care about and that was bothering her was her father being right and him knowing that he was right.

Mandy Mills coming in with her baby took her mind off of everything for a couple of minutes. She loved doing those exams and getting to play with them a little, even if it was just for a minute.

“Oh look at her, she is just beautiful.” Teddy beamed when Mandy got her little daughter out of her carrier. “How are things. Are you doing okay?”

“Yes, we are all doing great. But she sleeps so much, is that normal? Like 18 hours a day?”

“That's completely normal, don't worry. Enjoy it, you need to rest as much as you can for the next five weeks. Any problems at all?”

“Yes, just this morning when I undressed her, she suddenly had these pimples all over her side. I don't know what that is. Could she be sick? Is that a skin disease or something?” Mandy looked worried while she undressed her daughter, but as soon as Teddy caught the first glimpse of what she meant, she was able to put her worries to rest.

“Oh that is pretty common, Mandy. It's a newborn acne. It comes out of nowhere and goes away just as quickly. You don't have to do anything. Just leave it. It will be gone in a couple of days. Now let's see if she gained any weight.” Teddy measured and weighed the little baby and checked her heart and lungs and her eyes and inside her mouth and moved her limbs around gently to check for any abnormalities, but thankfully she found none.

“Everything is in working order. She's as healthy as can be.”

“Thank God. I figured, but you know... I still always worry.”

“And trust me, that will never ever stop. But it's a good thing. How about you? How is your back doing?”

“It's all still pretty sore. And all that bleeding sucks. I already ruined like 4 pairs of underwear.” Mandy admitted dismayed and Teddy rubbed her shoulder gently.

“Sorry, if it's any consolation, every woman goes through that. Just make sure that you rest a lot and drink lots of fluids. It takes some time for everything to go back to normal, but you'll get there.”

“Thanks, Dr. Robertson. You were such a great help during the birth. I'm so sorry about all these people talking about your private life. It's nobody's business but your own. Me and my husband went to school with Daryl. We know that he is not like Merle or Will, but you know how people are. They like scandals better than cute little love stories. I can't believe that not even your mother is supporting you.” Mandy chatted away while she re-dressed her daughter.

“My mother? She's talking to people about this?”

“I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have said anything, but... yes. Not to me directly, but I heard rumors that she said that living in a town like Seattle with all these grunge folk hanging around must have impaired your judgement,... or something like that. I'm sorry.”

“No, that's okay. You didn't do anything.” Teddy smiled, but it was a forced smile while she clenched her teeth in anger. 

“Well we have to get going. Lots of things to do. Bye, Doctor.”

“Bye and please don't forget to schedule the next appointments for you and your daughter for next month.” Teddy closed the door behind the new mom and her baby and had to fight hard not to kick her foot against it as hard as she could. Of course her mother had to take their family problems outside and share them with everyone. No wonder people are canceling appointments. She was worried about Teddy ruining their good reputation? What about her badmouthing her own daughter? 

“Unbelievable.” Teddy shook her head. This was just going down a really bad road really fast and it looked like there was no stopping it. Maybe she should just move a couple of towns away, but unfortunately that would throw a huge wrench into her dating life with Daryl. Also she didn't want to tell him about patients canceling on her, because he would just feel guilty and probably unravel again. Good thing that she would meet Billy after work, she desperately needed to unload. That reminded her that she needed to tell Daryl that she wouldn't be home after work, so he wouldn't make the trip in vain.

To: Daryl

Hi honey, I hope you have a great day at work.  
Just wanted to let you know that I won't be home until late tonight.  
I'm meeting Billy for dinner.  
If you want I'll text you when I'm home and you can come over then.  
If you'd like.  
Xoxo Teddy

She hit send and put her phone away to call her next patient in. Thank God most of them still wanted to be treated by her. For now. When she checked her phone at the beginning of her lunch break she had a message from Daryl.

From: Daryl

ok.

She laughed, even when texting he was mono-syllabic. It was adorable, albeit taxing sometimes, but right now she was just happy that she'd get to see him tonight. She couldn't get enough of him. It was hard enough to drag herself out of bed this morning after waking up with him wrapped around her like a kraken. He had looked so cute with his hair falling in his eyes and sticking up in other places and his sleepy, grumbly expression when she'd had to wake him. She was just enamored with him and all she wanted to do these days was make him happy. Hopefully as happy as he made her.

####### ####### ######## ######## #######

“Have I ever complained about not being the favorite kid?” Billy asked while he was lounging on his couch with Teddy later that night.

“Only a hundred thousand times.” Teddy deadpanned while she ate her cookie dough ice cream straight out of the carton.

“Well, I take it all back. My life was much quieter when you were the favorite. Mom keeps calling all the freaking time, wanting me to do this and pick up that and she wants me and Maggie to come over and get this: glue old newspapers on some old piece of furniture to make it pretty again. It's newspapers, how the fuck would that make anything pretty?” Billy shook his head in disbelief.

“It's called decoupage. It's not just newspaper, you put a ton of varnish on it and then gold stuff, whatever. It sucks. Been there, done that about four times. Glad I'm no longer getting asked to go. But you two have fun. It's a great opportunity for Mom to supply you with the newest town gossip. Oh wait, this time, that would be about me and Daryl. So like I said, have fun.”

“Awesome. They are so pissed at you. I didn't think it would be THAT bad. I knew they wouldn't be happy, but that they are completely ignoring you and talking shit about you, didn't see that coming.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. I'm losing patients, but I think that's not because I'm dating Daryl, but because our own parents are badmouthing me and my skills.”

“You're losing patients? Fuck! Man Teddy, don't get this the wrong way, but I gotta ask...”

“He is worth it.” Teddy knew where he was going with it. “I'm sure. He makes me so goddamn happy, Billy. Even with all this other shit going on, I haven't felt this good since Milo was born.”

“Does he treat you right?”

“He tries, very very hard. In general he is absolutely amazing. There's just some kinks we have to work out. He's just not very experienced, socially I mean. With women. So sometimes he freaks a little, but he is really working on that. And so far he's always apologized. He's a good guy.” Teddy had a huge smile on her face while she talked about Daryl and to Billy this was proof enough that Daryl was good for her.

“How'd you really get those scratches? Don't feed me that tripping in the dark bullshit.”

“In a way it was exactly that. I lost my footing. During sex with Daryl against a tree.” Teddy smirked.

“I knew it. You did it in the woods, huh? At that party? First time?”

“Yes, yes and yes. He felt so bad about the scratches. It wasn't his fault but he kept beating himself up over it. He was worried you'd beat him up for it.”

“Nonsense, things happen. I don't think Daryl would ever, like, hit you or something. From what I heard his Daddy used to beat up the Mom before she died. There's two ways this would usually go. He either turns into his father or he becomes the exact opposite and I think he is the opposite.” 

“He is. He definitely is.” Teddy agreed wholeheartedly.

“You know, it's funny. I think Mom would adore Daryl if she'd get to know him. With him being all shy around people, she'd find that endearing and try to take him under her wing.” Billy laughed.

“I know, right? I totally thought the same thing.”

“Yeah, she'd take him to her salon and get him a nice and proper haircut, then she'd take him shopping for shirts with sleeves and pants without rips in them.”

“Oh God, no. I'd be okay with the clothes, but the hair? A liiiittle shorter, okay, but not really short. He looks so good the way he is and I love to have something to hold onto.” Teddy already had that dreamy expression on her face again. She had it every time somebody mentioned Daryl, Billy had noticed.

“It was pretty short when I started working with him. He looked totally different back then. He was heavier, too. He had man boobies.” Billy recalled with a chuckle.

“What??? No, I don't believe that.”

“You saying I'm lying?”

“Hell yeah. Have you looked at him? He's a goddamn machine! I'm sure men fantasize about having the kind of body he has, while women just fantasize about having that body in bed with them. He is sex on legs.” Teddy argued fiercely.

“Hey all I'm saying is that he didn't always look like that. He had man boobs and a beer gut. I swear. Started getting thinner when his brother had a little accident and they had to pay off the hospital bill. Guess money got pretty tight then. Merle didn't work as far as I know and Daryl had to pick up the tab.”

“Gosh, that man really is way too loyal for his own good. And to the wrong people.”

“Looks like.” Billy nodded and studied his sister while she ate the last of her ice cream. “So how are you really doing? There's no way this isn't affecting you.”

“Of course it affects me. Work sucks right now. I get cramps in the mornings before I have to go in, I hate seeing Dad there. I hate this fighting shit, but they act like I am 9 years old. I won't let them have control over my life. Right now I just wanna run. Move away again and put some distance between us. But that wouldn't work. I'd miss you and Daryl and I'd have to start new again... Sounds like a lot of work.”

“So you're not about to hold out an olive branch any time soon, are you?”

“Nope. Why should I? They were the ones who attacked first. They attacked Daryl and by attacking my man, they attacked me. So they would have to be the ones to apologize first. They called him trailer park trash. How demeaning is that? Nope, nuh-uh, I won't have any of that. I stand by him and that's final.”

“Alright. We're going to war then. If she starts calling him names in front of me, I'll give her a piece of my mind, too. Let's see how they like not having neither one of their kids in their lives and helping out with their shit.” Billy nodded determinedly.

“Good. Thanks for having my back, Billy Goat.”

“Always. You gonna head home?” He asked when he noticed her going for her purse.

“Yeah. I wanna spend some time with Daryl. That okay with you? I know you get lonely when Maggie spends the week on the farm.”

“I do, but that's okay. You just go ahead. I'll call her and talk to her until we fall asleep.”

“That's cute. I don't think I'd ever be able to do that with Daryl. The man doesn't talk much. Maybe if it was phone sex. He talks in bed.”

“More than I need to know, really. Get out before my sex life, as I know it, is over.” Billy laughed and playfully shoved her towards the door.

“Alright, alright, I'm leaving. Talk to you soon.” The two hugged and kissed each others cheeks and then Teddy was off, already texting Daryl on her way down to her car.

###### ###### ####### ######### ########## 

“I think I wanna get myself a pet.” Teddy murmured a little while later while she laid on her couch, ensconced in Daryl's strong embrace. They were just holding each other, kissing a little and watching a cooking show on TV. They hadn't been able to compromise on another show and Daryl thought watching the show might maybe teach her a thing or two. Maybe there was still a teeny tiny bit of hope for her. She was able to make these pizza things, maybe they would be able to get her to be able to make a real pizza one day.

Daryl looked down at her, one eyebrow cocked and an amused smirk on his lips. “That's random. How'd you come up with that?”

“I don't know. I've always wanted a pet, but I never really had the time while I worked at the hospital. Now it's different. I have regular hours. For the most part.” Teddy explained.

“You should get a dog.” Daryl suggested.

“A dog? I love dogs, but I think a cat would be better. Less time commitment.”

“Nah, ya gotta get a dog. I like cats, but dogs are even better. They can protect ya better when I'm not around.”

“Hey, have you seen the claws of a cat recently. Those things are fucking razors! They will fuck you up.”

“Then why ain't there no goddamn watch cats? Only watch dogs? Cause cats don't fucking care about you getting attacked. They look the other way. Ya gotta get a dog. A big one.” Daryl said seriously.

“Or I just get a big cat. Like Garfield-big.” Teddy laughed.

“Nah, ya gotta get a dog. Big ass dog. Like one of 'em Rodesian Ridgebacks or a Rottweiler. No, no, no, you know what? Forget about those. What you gotta get is a Great Dane. Some of those fuckers are like three feet tall and that's just from paw to shoulder. It's a fucking pony, that's what ya need. A dog big enough nobody would even think twice about messing with ya.”

“Daryl, look around, I don't live in a palace.”

“Come on, yer apartment ain't that small.”

“I can't leave a damn pony alone in my apartment all day.”

“I'll take him with me ta work. He can be the shop dog. I'll walk him on ma break. I can take him out to the woods ta hunt.” Daryl said enthusiastically, already imagining what it would be like.

“Okay, so let me get this straight... I would get myself a dog and he'd go to work with you, you'd walk him and take him into the woods in your free time?”

“That's right.”

“So the dog, I would get for myself, he'd only be here for feeding time and for sleeping and the rest of the time he spends with you?”

“Yup.” Daryl nodded decisively, making Teddy chuckle.

“Okay, then why don't you get yourself a dog, because you obviously want one and I will get myself a Garfield?”

Daryl's mood darkened and he shrugged his shoulders. “Can't really afford one. 'Nd my place is tiny. Wish I'd have a house in the woods. He could just run around there. Could shoot him his damn breakfast every day. He'd get the best of the best. As fresh as it gets.”

“Sounds nice.” Teddy smiled when she saw his expression. He had a faraway look in his eyes and was smiling, clearly imagining himself with the dog going out in the mornings to shoot themselves some squirrel or something.

“Yeah well, they're pipe dreams.” he sounded defeated and it broke Teddy's heart a little.

“Maybe not. Maybe someday it will happen, you don't know.” she smiled encouragingly.

“Don't see how. Been trying ta save up fer years. Every time I got something put away, something happens and it's gone. Been like that forever. I'm thirty-fucking-five now. Ain't getting younger. Pay won't get better. Even worse probably. Maybe I gotta start playing the goddamn lottery.”

“Would be a start.” Teddy kissed him gently and smiled. “Just don't lose hope. Don't give up that dream. If you do, it can never happen. You don't know what the future holds. There might be wonderful things coming.”

“Pfff, right. That would be a first.” Daryl scoffed.

“First time for everything, baby.”

“Yeah.” he muttered absently while his fingers played with her hair. 'First time for everything.' That reminded him of something he'd been thinking about a lot that day. Their sexual encounter the previous night had left him with a weird feeling. He couldn't put his finger on it and he'd been wondering about it all damn day. He'd wanted to make her cum and then she'd distracted him. Twice. He might have imagined it, but somehow he got the feeling that she didn't want him to do that for her. Which was silly, who wouldn't want that? But maybe he was doing it wrong and she didn't want to hurt his feelings? But don't women fake it in that case? He was confused about the whole thing and unsure of what was happening. He knew he should talk to her about it, otherwise he'd never get an answer, but then again, maybe it was just his imagination. It had to be. How would he bring that up in the first place? She would laugh in his face and he would look like an idiot because he wasn't able to sexually satisfy his woman. He might be a glutton for punishment, but not THAT much. Things were going well right now, he did not want to fuck that up by asking stupid questions and then losing his temper because he would get angry at himself again. Nah, he'd just have to wait and see. There was probably nothing to worry about, this was still new after all.

“Want some more Coke?” he cleared his throat and decided to get himself another drink before he wasn't able to stop thinking about the sex thing. He frowned and looked down at the top of her head when he didn't get an answer. “Doc?” Nothing. He carefully pushed himself up on his elbows to peek at her face. She had fallen asleep on his chest while he had played with her hair. It was late anyway and they'd have to get up early again, so Daryl carefully picked her up and carried her over to her bedroom. She had already put on her sleep shorts and top earlier and he just had to lay her down and tuck her in, then he undressed himself and slipped in next to her, careful not to move around too much or make too much noise, while he scooted close enough press his hip against her butt. They always fell asleep like this, barely touching. She was on her side facing away from him and he was on his back with his hands behind his head. Waking up in the morning was a whole other deal. They changed positions over night and the past two days it had been Teddy on her back in the mornings and Daryl on his side with his arms and legs wrapped around her. He smiled when he remembered how she had carefully complained about being too hot, that he was like a furnace, but still she hadn't really moved away from him. He turned his head and looked at the back of her head while she was sleeping peacefully. It was his third night here, only his third night and he already felt like they'd done this forever and he never wanted to sleep alone again.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Daryl was in that state between sleep and being awake, slowly coming out of his dreams and not yet aware of his surroundings. Still, he noticed that something was very different than usual. His whole body was tingling pleasantly. He felt aroused and horny and the more seconds passed the more he became aware of the warmth spreading through his lower regions, causing the tingling to get stronger. He groaned when he felt a warm, soft hand cupping his balls and rolling them in its palm, that's when he finally became fully aware of what was happening.

“Good morning, baby.” he heard the little grin in her voice and he moaned deeply when he felt her teeth nip at his earlobe, while her hand slid up and down his hard shaft with just the right amount of pressure.

“It definitely is.” he sighed blissfully and kept his eyes closed, focusing solely on what her hands were doing and the wet, smacking sound the movement of her hand produced. She was using some kind of lube and it felt too fucking good to describe. 

“Lay on your back.” she whispered in his ear. They were in their usual morning position with her on her back and him on his side and her hands were starting to cramp a little from the awkward angle. Daryl did what he was told without hesitation and Teddy followed him without taking her hands off of him. Her movements just slowed a little bit while she maneuvered herself to sit between his spread legs, her legs resting on top of his, her feet resting on either side of his hips on the mattress. Daryl wrapped his fingers around her slim ankles and held on tight while she stroked him towards completion. 

“Tell me if you want it faster or harder, baby.” She breathed quietly. Her voice was still thick with sleep, giving it a bit of a raspy touch, which tugged all the right strings inside Daryl's groin. 

“Nah, it's fucking perfect, babe.” he groaned and rubbed his hands up and down her shins firmly. She was doing him so good, he never wanted it to end. She was rotating her hand a little around him on every upward stroke and she rubbed her thumb and sometimes her whole palm over the swollen head, slick with pre-cum and whatever lube she was using.

“You're beautiful, you know that? Never seen a dick as gorgeous as yours, honey.”

“Fuck...” she was killing him talking to him like that. Nobody's ever called any part of him beautiful and it stroked his ego just the right way and not just his ego. She sped up her movements when she felt him jump and twitch in her hand and made him hiss in pleasure, when she tugged on his balls a little. 

“Gonna cum for me?”

“Shit yeah! Little faster, Doc. Holy fuck yeah that's it!” Daryl pushed his head back into the pillow, his hands gripping her calves in an almost painful death grip while the pressure inside of him was building at lightning speed. His hips started undulating and moving up to push harder into her hand. Teddy picked up the movement and jerked him hard and fast while his whole body tensed up and he grew completely quiet and stopped breathing for a couple of seconds, before he erupted violently with a loud growl all over her hand and his stomach.

“Damn, that's so hot.” Teddy moaned herself when she watched him orgasm and shoot his cum over his belly and her hand. She slowed down, grasp only tightening when she moved her fist from the base up to the tip to milk every last drop from him until Daryl grasped her wrist and pulled her to lay on top of him. His other hand held the back of her neck and pushed her down to meet his lips. His tongue slid into her mouth and tangled passionately with hers for a long moment, before they broke apart so he could suck more air into his lungs. 

“I'll get you a coffee and your cigarettes, okay?” She smiled happily at his dreamy and content expression and kissed the tip of his nose before she tried to get up.

“Or you stay right the fuck where ya are and let me return that favor for once.” he grinned and moved back in to kiss her.

“I'm good, I'm gonna use the opportunity of waking up earlier to take a shower AND wash my hair. That always takes up some time.”

“I could come with ya,... wash it for ya...”

“Not today, okay? You just enjoy lounging around in bed for a while. If we shower together I might be late and I don't want to give my father more ammunition. You relax, I'll get you your breakfast.” She quickly got out of bed and went to the kitchen to make him a cup of coffee. She came back just two minutes later with the steaming mug and his pack of smokes and lighter in her hands. “Here you go. Enjoy. I might be like half an hour.”

“Fine.” his mood was already darkening again. That weird feeling, that something was up, was back again. He drank his coffee and had his smoke, but he wasn't able to enjoy it. “Fuck this.” he muttered to himself and got out of bed and kicked off his boxers that had hung loosely around the middle of his thighs. He needed a shower too and he didn't see why they wouldn't be able to take it together, even if she did have to wash her hair, which was a bullshit excuse in his book anyway. He walked into the bathroom and took a quick piss before he walked over to the shower stall. Teddy hadn't even noticed that he was in the bathroom, the sound of the water drowned out everything else, so she almost jumped as high as the ceiling in shock, when she felt Daryl's hands on her waist.

“Jeeesus, Daryl! You almost gave me a heart attack.” she gasped and turned around, facing him now, to rinse the shampoo from her long hair. 

“Sorry.” he didn't sound sorry at all though as his intense blue gaze took in her naked, wet body. 

“Daryl...” she said when she saw the look he was giving her and it sounded like warning. “We don't have time for this.”

“Yeah we do, it's early.”

“No we don't. I got stuff to do. Seriously. I gotta put conditioner in and I need to shave and I need to dry my hair and that alone takes quite some time...” 

“Woman, I just felt yer legs five minutes ago. Ain't no need fer shaving. Ain't nothin but a fucking tiny stubble. Whaddaya wanna do? Shave off the first skin layer? Chill the fuck out. Don't need perfect. Don't want fucking perfect, alright?” he said while he stepped closer and let his hands glide over her curves.

“I appreciate it, Daryl, but please let me do my thing. Here, wash up while I take care of my hair.” she pushed a bottle of body wash into his hands and then grabbed the conditioner for her hair and went ahead and put it into her hair while he stared hard at her for a moment with narrowed eyes. She was turning him down again. What the fuck was wrong with her? Looks like they needed that talk after all, but not right now, not before work.

“Fine. Have it yer fucking way.” he grumbled while he squirted the body wash into his hand and quickly washed himself. When he was done he got out and grabbed a towel to dry himself off. “You gonna be home right after work tonight?” he asked while he was rubbing down his arms.

“Yes, I guess I'll be home by five-thirty.”

“Alright, I'll be here around five-thirty, then. Gonna get outta here now. Gotta go home and get clothes. Yer busy anyway with yer hair and shit...” 

“Okay. Want me to get something to eat from one of the restaurants?”

“Nah, I'll cook. Can't order shit every night, woman. Now c'mere.” He waved her closer with two fingers and Teddy stuck her head out of the shower to get a goodbye kiss. 

“See you tonight.” she smiled happily and Daryl took one last longing look at her naked body before he left.

“Yeah. See ya.”

####### ###### ####### ####### ###### ####### ######

He felt like shit when he entered his tiny, ratty apartment he used to share with Merle. It really was amazing how fast people could get used to nice things as opposed to how long it took them to get adjusted to shitty situations. Being with Teddy in her nice apartment almost made him feel like he was a whole new person, but being back here, he quickly realized that he was just the same old Daryl Dixon and he didn't like it. If it were up to him, Teddy would just need to say the word and he would leave this shit-hole behind without thinking twice about it. The only things he would take would be his clothes and his hunting gear, everything else didn't matter to him, there was nothing of value. Also he hated being alone. It had been nice to be a whole day without Merle, but during the second day he'd already felt himself getting anxious, bored and lonely. He might be a loner, but he was a loner that needed people around, as weird as that sounded. He was getting used to being with Teddy all the time when he wasn't at work and even spending an hour alone in his apartment by himself was almost too much to bear.

He went to his bedroom and got out a clean pair of underwear and a clean t-shirt and got changed. He pondered whether he should get his duffel bag and put a change of clothes in there to take over to Teddy's later. He really didn't want to spend any more time in his own apartment than he had to and this way he would save himself the trip of getting clean clothes every morning. On the other hand it would look kind of presumptuous to just take a bag with clothes over there. Maybe he should ask first, but then again he'd feel stupid for asking. He could just leave it in the truck and in case he spent the night again he would just go down and grab it real quick. That wouldn't look too bad, right? 

“Right.” he decided and got on his knees in front of his bed and pulled the duffel bag out from underneath and put it on his bed. He tossed a couple pairs of boxer shorts in there, as well as socks a pair of pants and a couple of t-shirts. 

“Toothbrush.” he muttered after having ventured into his bathroom to brush his teeth. “Nah, I'll just get a new one at the store later.” That reminded him that he had forgotten to ask her about her dislikes where food was concerned. He didn't wanna end up making something she didn't like. When he had brushed his teeth he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sent her a text.

To: Doc

Anything you don't like? Food I mean.

He pressed send and stuffed the phone back into his pocket and grabbed his bag. It was time for him to go to work and he didn't want to come back here after to get his bag. He would just take his time with shopping and then wait in front of her apartment until she showed up. He went to work and during his lunch break he read the message Teddy had sent him during the morning.

From: Doc 

I don't like:  
Eggplant  
Asparagus  
Zucchini  
Caraway  
Rutabaga  
Fish (only if it still has those nasty bones that get stuck in my throat, otherwise I like it)  
Rice  
Turkey  
Cabbage  
Oranges  
Plums  
Arugula  
Collard Greens  
Green Olives (Love black olives, allergic to olive oil for whatever reason)  
Pumpkin  
Peanut Butter  
Mustard  
Kale  
Coconut  
Artichoke  
Caper  
Lentil  
Okra  
Tofu  
Celeriac  
Fennel  
Peaches  
Apricots  
Pineapple  
Pretty much every fruit except for apples, strawberries and cherries  
Not big on pasta, but it's okay every once in a while  
Anything that's been marinated  
Buttermilk  
Dark chocolate  
Hazelnuts  
I think that's everything for now. If I come up with anything else I'll let you know.  
Xoxo Teddy

Daryl was at a loss as he scrolled further and further down. Was she kidding? Maybe he should have asked what she actually liked, that list had to be a whole lot shorter than this. What in the world did she eat every day? The same stuff over and over again?

“You okay?” Billy asked when he noticed Daryl's frown and the incredulous shake of his head.

“Your sister a picky eater by any chance?” Daryl asked darkly and Billy scoffed out a laugh.

“You have no idea. She's not only a horrible cook, she is also horrible to cook for if you don't know her. There's a ton she doesn't like.

“Probably why she's such a shitty cook. Doesn't know how it's s'pposed ta taste. So what the fuck does she like?”

“You taking over the kitchen?” Billy asked, trying to keep the smirk out of his face.

“Yeah.”

“Smart move, brother. Smart move. Let's see, she likes chicken, she likes steaks with potatoes and sour cream or with roasted potatoes and onions. When you wanna do vegetables broccoli and cauliflower is the way to go. Or carrots and peas. Sometimes she eats the most disgusting things. One of her favorites is a burger , just the bun and the patty topped with a lot of blue cheese. Disgusting. She also loves BBQ sauce. She likes basic things, meat, veggies and potatoes, nothing frilly really and she really doesn't mind eating some things over and over again. Just go with steak. Oh, she loves salmon, but you gotta make really sure that it's boneless. When we was little she got a fish bone stuck in her throat and it really tore her up, she was coughing blood and everything, so she won't go near anything that's not boneless. That goes for everything, really. She loves chicken, but she hates chicken wings, because of the bones.”

“Jesus.” Daryl sighed deeply. Getting her used to the haute cuisine the woods had to offer would certainly be a challenge. Good thing he didn't back down from challenges. “At least it's something ta go on. Thanks, man.”

“Anytime. I'm here for you, man. I'm a walking and talking handbook on Teddy 101. Whatever you need, I'm your guy.” Billy offered with a wink and got a nod of gratitude in return.

Daryl started biting his lip. There were so many questions he had, but they were the kind he couldn't ask her brother of all people. Billy would have his balls on a silver platter if he'd ask any sex-related questions. 

“What is it?” Billy asked smilingly when he noticed the turmoil within Daryl.

“Nothin'. Forget it.”

“Sure? I won't tell her you asked...” Billy coaxed him. Daryl knew for sure that he'd never ask Billy about sex stuff, but there was one thing he could ask that might give him a clue as to what was going on with Teddy.

“She uhm... she said she had a shitty boyfriend once? Said she knew the difference between an accident and getting hurt on purpose?”

“Oh yeah... Josh. Real jerk. Went to Seattle and smashed his face in once. Why you askin' about him?”

“Dunno. Just wondered... something bad happen with him?”

“He definitely had mental problems. Got upset over everything and slapped her around, gave her bruises. She fought back every time, got some good hits in, but he was a huge guy, he was just stronger. She broke up with him the first time it ever happened, but he kept following her around until she got a restraining order. Took forever to get that, they just like to wait until somebody gets killed. I went there and stayed with her for a week, took her everywhere she needed to go until that whole thing was taken care of. She had a huge shiner after he'd waited for her in front of her building. When I saw that I saw red. When he followed us and she told me it was him I went Rambo on that guy, didn't care that he was as tall as a skyscraper, he was on the ground faster than he could blink. Asshole.”

“He ever do anything else?”

“Like what?” Billy frowned at Daryl, not sure what he meant.

“Nothing, forget I asked. Gotta get back to work. Break's over.” Daryl quickly left the break room before Billy could ask any more questions. Obviously the ex wasn't the problem with the whole sex stuff. It was a stupid road to go down anyway. Teddy didn't seem to have a problem with having sex in general, she was just being weird when it came to him returning sexual favors. Looked like he really wasn't getting out of that talk and he did not look forward to that.

He was done with work just a couple of hours later and drove down to the local Walmart to get things for dinner and a new toothbrush to keep at Teddy's. He also got some snacks and chocolate, Teddy didn't have that stuff around and Daryl kinda liked to have something to snack on during TV time. A six-pack of his favorite beer completed his shopping cart and then he was off to pay for his stuff. It wasn't even five when he parked in front of Teddy's apartment building and he was surprised to see her get out of her car just when he pulled into the parking spot. 

“Hey, yer home early.” he greeted her when she came over to his truck.

“Yeah... finished early.” she smiled and rubbed his bare arm gently and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She looked past him into the truck when he grabbed the shopping bags and smiled when she saw the duffel bag. “Brought some clothes?”

Daryl straightened abruptly, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. He hadn't meant for her to see the bag. “Yeah...”

“Good idea. I wanted to tell you this morning to bring some, but I forgot about it.”

“Bought a toothbrush, too.” he said, not even knowing why, it didn't really matter.

“Good thinking, baby. Gimme those bags, you don't have to carry everything.” she smiled and held out her hands.

“It's fine, I don't mind. Go ahead, open the door.” he nodded towards the front door while he grabbed all the bags himself.

“Alright.” Teddy didn't see the need to argue over a couple of shopping bags. It was his way of being a gentleman. 

Daryl took everything into her kitchen and had her show him where she kept her knives and bowls and other cooking utensils.

“What are you making?” Teddy asked while she snooped through the bags curiously.

“Chicken breasts with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Nothing big.”

“Sounds good. Mind if I get changed? I can put your clothes in my closet while I'm at it if you'd like.”

“Sure.” he shrugged nonchalantly, but on the inside he felt giddy that she would even want his stuff mixed in with hers.

“Good. I'll be right back.” They shared a sweet, little kiss before Teddy grabbed his duffel bag and the toothbrush and took it with her into the bedroom. She took off her work clothes and changed into her favorite hot pants and her old Batman t-shirt, then she rearranged some things in her closet to make room for Daryl's clothes. She put his socks and underwear in a drawer next to hers and then his new toothbrush found its new place next to hers in the bathroom. When everything was done she padded back into the kitchen on bare feet. She stopped in the doorway and watched him with a big grin on her face. He was moving the pan around on the stove and taking a sip from his beer bottle at the same time.

“Now that's a sight I could get used to.” she smiled at Daryl when he looked over his shoulder. “A hot, sexy guy standing in my kitchen and cooking for me.”

“Gonna have ta, if we don't wanna starve.” he chuckled.

“We wouldn't be starving, we just wouldn't be eating anything good.” she corrected him while she walked over and wrapped her arms around him. “Can I watch.”

“Too late for that, woman. All it's gotta do now is cook and boil while we wait.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I was productive, too. Your pants and shirts are in my closet, your socks and boxers in my underwear drawer and your toothbrush is in the bathroom. No more early morning trips to your apartment when you could have breakfast with me.”

“Sounds good. Wanna beer?”

“Sure, why not. How was work today?” she asked, while he opened a bottle of beer for her.

“Good, I guess. Same old. How 'bout you?”

“Same.”

“Yer daddy still ain't talking to ya?”

“Nope. But I try to see the positive side of things. I have a lot of free time now instead of doing stupid artwork projects.”

“Guess that is positive.”

“It is, because I get to spend it with you.” She smiled and buried her nose in his chest. “Shit, I love the way you smell after work.”

“What?” he looked at her surprised. He was sweaty and probably reeked of motor oil and grease and all that stuff.

“I love it. It's so masculine, like getting hit with a testosterone sledgehammer, but in a good way.”

“You're crazy.”

“You said that before.” she said grinning.

“Yeah, I meant it.” he grinned right back and lowered his head to kiss her on the lips with a loud smacking noise.

About twenty minutes later they sat down at her kitchen table and ate in companionable silence. The only exception being made when Teddy complimented him on the food. It was simple, but it really was delicious and the fact that Daryl had made it for her made it taste even better.

“This was really good. Thank you, honey.” She leaned down and kissed him after having gotten up to clear the table. 

“No problem.” he smiled and watched her walk over to the sink in those damn tiny shorts of hers. “Ready for dessert?”

“Uh, there's dessert? What are we gonna have?” she asked while she rinsed their plates and didn't notice when he stepped up behind her. 

“I dunno bout you,... but I'm gonna have a bit'a this.” he murmured into her ear while his hand slipped inside the front of her shorts, gently stroking over her curls before moving lower to slide his fingertips over her slit.

Teddy gasped, her eyelids fluttering. “Or we could just go out for a walk and get some ice-cream.”

“Ya wanna go out and get ice-cream instead of getting this?” he asked and pressed his fingers against her clit for emphasis. His temper started to flare at her trying to turn him down again. “Why?”

“You had a long day. You worked and you went shopping and you cooked for us,... I don't want you to feel obligated to do that for me.”

“That's your excuse right now. What about this morning? Oh right, ya wanted ta wash yer hair and shave what didn't need shavin' at fucking all. What about Tuesday night?” he asked angrily.

“What about Tuesday night? We had sex that night, so what about it?”

“Something's goin' on here and yer gon' tell me what, 'cause I can't figure it out! You have no problem fucking me or doin' stuff ta me, but as soon as I wanna do it fer you, you fucking make up excuses or distract me. What's up with that?”

“It's like I said. I don't want you to feel obligated to reciprocate. I love doing it for you, I wanna make you happy. I know guys don't really like reciprocating anyway and especially not with me, so it's cool...”

“Not with you? Now what the fuck is that s'pposed ta mean, huh?”

“I have a hard time getting an orgasm, okay? It takes forever, I guess I might have a bit of a control issue or something, but the fact is, it's not easy and guys got tired of it and most of the time everything just went downhill from there on out and I don't want the same happening with you.” she explained and watched his expression change. She really didn't know what to make of it, though.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he narrowed his eyes at her. “That's it?”

“Uhm,... y-yeah?” she really didn't know how to read his expression right now. 

“You for real here? That's the whole fucking problem? That's why ya acted weird?” Daryl shook his head and stemmed his hands against his hips. “Woman... I could just fucking shake ya right now... You got any idea what kinda shit went through ma head?” he started pacing back and forth in front of her, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. “For fucks sakes! Ya have a hard time cummin'? That's fucking it? So what? That ain't even a problem! Jesus Christ, what is wrong with ya? I thought something was seriously fucked up here!”

“I'm sorry. I should have just told you right from the start, but I don't know, I guess I lost myself a little bit there, because I wanted to do everything to make you happy and I didn't want things to turn to shit too soon. I overthink things and can't let go, I guess and I didn't want you to think that I wasn't trusting you enough to, well, just let go... Sex has never been that good for me, but I still appreciate it for what it is and-”

“Hold on! Ya sayin' the sex we had ain't been any good for ya? So ya fuckin' lied? 'Cause ya said ya liked it!” he looked at her suspiciously, his voice getting dangerously quiet.

“No, I did not lie to you. I did like it a lot. That's why it's so different with you. I like what we do and to be honest, I feel a little weird about it.” she admitted carefully, knowing that it had to sound horrible to his ears. She watched him rub his face hard in his hands before he pointed over to the chair at the kitchen table.

“Sit. This might take a while, I reckon.” He took several deep breaths to calm himself. It took a lot for him not to explode and unleash his anger, that was caused by the whole confusion. He grabbed another beer from the fridge before he sat down himself.

“And what the fuck do ya mean by that? Fucking me is weird, now? The hell, Doc?” Daryl felt his control slipping and Teddy raised her hands in a defensive manner.

“Please, I don't mean it like that. I know it sounds horrible. Let me try to explain. I've told you a couple of times before that I never liked the whole 'rough sex' thing. I didn't like my partners going there at all, because it always felt like it was just an act, like they overdid it, you know? I don't really know why I have a hard time getting off. Maybe I was afraid to loose control and... give myself over, whatever you wanna call it, maybe I didn't want to give up control over my body. I just can't explain everything, because even I don't know everything that's going on in my head where that stuff is concerned, but I'm trying here.” Teddy was completely red in the face, this was a talk that didn't come easy to her at all and she stopped for a moment to try to find the right words. Daryl staring at her like he was steaming mad wasn't helping her thought process.

“Jesus, I don't know how to say it. How to explain it in a good way. Do you remember when we did it in the woods? At the end, when you had your hand around my throat?” Teddy looked at him carefully, her face turning an even darker shade of red.

“Yeah.” 

“When you did that, I wasn't scared or panicked or anything. I liked it. God how do I describe this?” Teddy got frustrated because she didn't know how to put it in words what she felt that night. She startled herself when she suddenly got emotional and tears sprung to her eyes when she recalled that moment. Daryl's eyes widened and his tense posture relaxed when he saw her tearing up and he reached over to grab her hands.

“Babe,...”

“I'm sorry,... I'm sorry. It was just really intense and this is gonna sound so goddamn cheesy, but... when you did that, I felt at home. I felt warm and protected. I felt so small, but in a really good way. I felt like you were gonna take care of me, you know? I felt incredibly content and happy. Satisfied, like a cat that's purring while it's rolling around in the sunshine. I know that sounds stupid and what I'm about to say will sound even more stupid and I'm sorry for going there, I know men are not into that bullshit, but it's the only words that come to mind. Thinking about somebody else putting their hands on my throat, that frightens me to death, but when you did that, I seriously felt like a missing piece of that mess of a puzzle that is me, has finally slipped home. I never ever wanted you to let go. The same goes for the rest. The rough sex, the bits of pain here and there. I enjoy it, I enjoy feeling you that way and... it weirds me out, because I keep thinking that I am not supposed to enjoy that. I'm not supposed to like a guy going all alpha male on me and bite me and all that stuff, right?” Teddy's tears had run down her cheeks by now and she looked at him with a look of confusion and desperation that broke his heart. 

“Who says ya ain't s'pposed ta like that? Ya like what ya like, ain't nothing wrong about it. Wanna know what I think? You have no clue what ya like in bed. Yer startin' ta figure it out now, but before we fucked, ya didn't have an inkling about what the fuck would get ya off right. Ya thought ya didn't like rough, but darlin' you do. Ya like a bit of pain ta go with yer pleasure. Probably always wanted it that way. Ya only started getting loud'n wet when I started bitin' on ya, so what? Millions of other chicks sure do too. But like ya said, the guys ya dated before didn't give it ta you right. Not the way ya wanted and needed it. And now yer scared because everything ya thought to be true about yer sex life got turned upside down.” It suddenly all made sense in Daryl's head and he would be lying if he said that the whole thing didn't give him a huge ego and confidence boost. He was the one she needed and who would be able to give her what she secretly craved. For once there was no doubt in his mind, she had described it perfectly. He was her missing piece and vice versa. That's exactly how he had felt that morning when he'd fucked her on the table and it had scared him shitless. He got where she was coming from.

Teddy stared at him in surprise. Not only was he right, but it also had to be the most he'd ever talked to her in one go. She soon realized that she was just staring at him and quickly wiped away her tears and cleared her throat. “I think you might be very right about that.”

“Damn right, I am. You were right, too. I'm gon' take care'a ya. No more of that overthinking. No more worryin' bout what you're s'pposed ta like.” Daryl tugged on her hands and made her get up. He pulled her down to sit sideways on his lap and kissed her deeply. “When we fuck, I'll do the thinking. You just lay back and lemme take care'a ya, understood? I wanna make ya feel good and if it takes a goddamn hour of eatin' you out to make ya cum, I'll fuckin eat ya out for an hour. Don't want you thinking bout that shit. You seriously think I won't enjoy that?”

Teddy shrugged shyly. “Nobody else ever did.”

“Think we accomplished that this thing with us is different, right? I ain't like those fuckers, ya know that. They didn't stand a chance anyway.” Daryl started grinning. “Bet it won't take me long ta get ya there. Got ya goin' in no time the last time we did it. Until ya distracted me. Which reminds me, no more of that bullshit. Got it? Ya wanna make me happy? Then let me make ya happy in return and that's the last Imma say bout this.”

“Okay. Got it.” She kissed him hard, until a giggle erupted from her mouth. “You know, you can be quite the chatty Cathy, who knew?

“Had ta make a point. Don't want ya ashamed, cause ya like it kinky.”

“Daryl!!!” Teddy laughed and hid her blushing face in the crook of his neck.

“Cut it out, woman. I like it kinky, too. We match perfectly.” he smiled and pulled on her hair to get her to face him again.

“You're right. Match made in kinky heaven.” she giggled.

“Exactly. That's why we're gonna have dessert now. And it ain't gon' be no fucking ice cream.”

###### ######## ####### ######## ####### #######

She was naked on her bed faster than she could blink. Daryl was a man on a mission and this time he wouldn't be stopped by anything or anyone. Daryl stood in front of the bed and undressed himself, just keeping his boxers on while his eyes swept along her naked curves. He crawled up on the bed on all fours until he was towering over her lithe form.

“Ya can touch my head, but nothing else. Got it? This is MY playtime now. Better put them above yer head.” he murmured in a low voice against her skin while he nuzzled her cheek. Teddy obediently lifted her arms and rested her hands underneath her head.

“Good girl.” Daryl rasped with a crooked grin that would have made Teddy go weak in the knees had she stood upright. He proceeded to trails his lips down her body, alternating between licking thin, wet stripes with the tip of his tongue, pressing hot, sensual open-mouthed kisses against her skin with his soft lips and giving her a few sharp nips with his teeth here and there. He paused to lavish attention upon her wonderful tits. Letting the weight fill his palm, caressing them gently with his fingers while his teeth tugged on her hardened nipples. Teddy's hands came down, her fingers threading into his hair to press him against her firmly.

“Remember, girl... head only.” he warned before he switched over to her left breast to repeat his ministrations her other tit had received previously. Soon he continued on his downward descent to his true destination and Teddy spread her legs to accommodate him. She yelped when he unexpectedly bit into the soft flesh of her inner thigh, his stubble rubbing ever so lightly against her core.

“Holy shit...” she moaned when he started sucking, the movement of his jaw creating just a little bit of friction against the soft skin of her pussy lips. Daryl continued until he felt her hips starting to move and she was squirming against him, trying to press him against her harder. Only then did he move his lips towards her center until his face was level with the object of his desire. Teddy's first instinct was to clamp her legs shut when he looked at her openly, but Daryl quickly looped his arms around her thighs and stopped her from doing so.

“No you don't.” he said firmly, but his voice was soft and laced with lust. “Fucking beautiful.” he groaned quietly and rubbed the tip of his nose through her trimmed, dark curls, a deep growl escaping him. Her scent pushed the animal inside of him back to the front and he gripped her legs tightly, like that would help him hold on to his control. His tongue darted out of his mouth and he pressed it flat against her slit and traced it from bottom to the top in one long stroke with a loud groan. It made Teddy shiver hard from lust, arousal was spreading through every fiber of her being. He let her feel that he really wanted to do this, that he was actually turned on by doing it and it not only made her wet, it made her relax as well. It had been forever since anyone had done this for her, it must have been about six or seven years, if not longer and she had forgotten how good it felt. 

“Oh God, Daryl...” Pretty much all thoughts were wiped from her head when his tongue found her clit. It felt crazy good when he gave it little licks with just the tip of his tongue, her hips bucked up against his mouth uncontrollably with every little touch. Daryl chuckled against her and let her move against him for a moment, while he played around with her, but as soon as her movements became more erratic he pressed his big, strong hand down on her abdomen and held her in place. Two of his fingers sought out her opening and thrust in deeply once they'd found it and his lips closed around her swollen, little bundle of nerves. Teddy moaned his name and arched her back, her fingers were tugging hard at his hair, making him growl against her. He suckled on her clit, letting his tongue trace little lines and circles, his fingers thrusting and twisting rhythmically, already feeling her fluttering a little around them. His hand on her abdomen slid up her body and cradled her right breast, pinching her nipple hard between thumb and forefinger, grinning a little around her when he felt her jerk and clamp down on his fingers harder.

“Yes baby, so good. Don't stop.” she moaned and gripped his hair even tighter in his hands and ground herself against his face now that she was free to do so again. Daryl had no intention of stopping, he kept going and going. He knew she had to be close, he could feel it, but she just didn't go over, like there was an invisible barrier.

“Don't think!” he warned after taking his mouth off of her. “Yer holdin' it in. I can feel it, girl.”

“I'm trying, baby.” she panted and opened her eyes to look at him when she felt him kneel.

“Yer not supposed ta try, jus' feel and let go. C'mon, turn around and get on yer knees.” Teddy moved on all fours with Daryl kneeling behind her and gripping her hips, roughly pulling her back against him. He pressed his hard cock inside of her, deeper and deeper until her ass was snugly nestled against his groin. He didn't give her time to adjust, he started pounding her hard right away, not able to stop himself from doing it. His right hand reached around her, picking up where his tongue had left off, rubbing her clit in tight little circles, making her chant his name like a prayer. When he felt her being close again his left hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around the front of her throat, like he'd done in the woods, and pulled her up til his lips were pressed against her ear. 

“Feel that?” he asked while his breath came out of him in shallow pants. He applied just a little bit of pressure to her throat for emphasis, before he went back to just holding it in his hand. “I got ya, girl. I'm taking care of ya. Just. Let. Go.” he growled and emphasized his last words with deep, hard thrusts and then he felt it. Teddy suddenly stilled completely, her breath hitching in her throat and then her body came undone. She clawed at his arms desperately, leaving thick red welts on his skin as her orgasm tore through her. The first one she hadn't been responsible for herself in ages. Her hips stuttered and jerked against him, her muscles clenching around him rhythmically with an iron grip, while she whimpered out her release.

“Fuck, Doc. That's ma girl...” he groaned, his eyes slamming shut when his balls drew up. Just a couple thrusts more was all he needed to reach the point of no return himself, spilling himself inside her, his groans muffled against her shoulder. Teddy sank back against him weakly a moment later, spent from her climax. Daryl withdrew his hand from between her legs and wrapped that arm around her midsection instead, holding her tightly. He kissed along her shoulder and up to her ear. “Good girl,... such a good girl.” he murmured into it while his breathing slowed back to normal. 

They soon fell down onto the mattress in a spooning position. Daryl maneuvered the covers over their cooling bodies and kept kissing her shoulder gently.

“You did it.” he grinned against her skin quietly.

“No, YOU did it.” she giggled.

“Told ya I could do it.” yeah, he was being a bit cocky, but he deserved it. He was incredibly proud, the grin he was wearing was almost splitting his face in half.

“You did. It was amazing.” she muttered, her speech becoming a bit slurred from being lulled into sleep.

“It was. Tired already?”

“Hell yeah. My body isn't used to this anymore.”

“It will be again soon. Promise.”

“I believe you.” She smiled. It was still pretty early, but she felt herself fading into sleep fast. “I'm so tired. I'm sorry. Good night, my love.” she muttered sleepily.

“It's okay. Sleep tight.” he pressed another kiss against the naked skin of her shoulder before he rolled on his back so that they were in their usual position, but this time he kept his hand on her butt, rubbing it gently until he fell asleep himself.

####### ####### ####### ###### ####### #######

The next week went by in a blur. They went to work, then they went home, Daryl cooked for them most of the time, then they sometimes went for a walk to get some ice-cream or they went grocery shopping and the remaining time they pretty much screwed their brains out, like every other new couple. It was Friday and Teddy was looking forward to the weekend. Daryl wanted to take her out to the woods and teach her how to shoot a gun, then they would hunt something for dinner and he would show her how to skin and gut whatever they'd be able to get. He was sure she would have no problem picking up that skill, she had seen worse in the operating room at the hospital during her training. 

It was almost six when her last patient had left. Only her and Judy were still in the offices and Teddy was just finishing up on some paperwork when Judy came in.

“I'm about to head out. Here, your father wanted me to give this to you.” Judy handed Teddy a white envelope.

“Oh okay, thanks. Have a nice weekend, Judy.”

“You, too. See you on Monday, bright and early.” Judy gave a little wave and left. Teddy put the envelope aside for a moment so she could finish with the notes she was writing down in one of the patient files. After a couple of minutes she was done and she put it on top of the stack of files sitting on her desk. She grabbed the envelope from her father and tore it open unceremoniously. She had never been big on letter openers. She took out the letter and unfolded it and started reading.

“This letter confirms your dismissal from Robertson Family Doctors for poor performance, effective immediately...”

Teddy's mouth dropped open in shock as she re-read the line and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

“Son of a bitch! He's firing me.”


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Teddy stared at the letter for what felt like an hour. She read it about five times before she grabbed her cell phone and called her brother.

“Billy, you are not gonna believe this!”

“You're pregnant and eloping?” Billy deadpanned, making Teddy scoff.

“Far from it. No, I just got a letter from our lovely father, telling me that I've been dismissed from the practice for poor performance. Effective immediately.”

“WHAAAAAT?” Billy's voice was weirdly high-pitched and Teddy cringed a little at his outburst. “He can't do that! That's illegal.”

“I know! What in the world is he thinking?”

“I tell you what he's thinking. He thinks if he makes you choose between Daryl and your job, that you're gonna choose your job. That's all this is. He's forcing you to make a decision.”

“Well, I ain't making no decision, that's for damn sure!” Teddy grumbled and started frowning when Billy laughed out loud.

“Shit, Teddy. Already picked up Dixon-talk, did you? Man, I'd love to see the look on Mom's face when she hears you talk like that.”

“Won't happen. Especially not now.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I will go home to my wonderful boyfriend and have a nice weekend with him and on Monday I will get myself a lawyer to represent me in my wrongful termination lawsuit against my own father.” Teddy explained her plans casually, like she was talking about the weather.

“Teddy, come on. Really? You wanna sue? We're still family, there's gotta be another way to resolve this.” Billy tried to reason with her, but Teddy had made up her mind.

“Billy, he started this. He is firing me for dating Daryl. That's discrimination and it's illegal. He shot first and I won't stand here and take it just like that, only because he is family. He doesn't care about me being family. Mom doesn't care about me being family the moment she opens her mouth and talks shit about me to strangers. They want war? They got one.”

“Man that's gonna be one fucked up Easter this year.” Billy groaned.

“That's all you can think about right now? For real? Well okay, I gotta get going, just wanted to let you know what's going on. Have a nice weekend.” Teddy hung up, now pissed at her parents AND at her brother. He always put on a tough guy act, much like Daryl, but he was always striving for harmony. In this case it just wasn't possible though. Teddy stuffed the letter into her purse and finished up for the day... or possibly forever, and went home. She was confused when she found Daryl sitting on the floor in front of her apartment. 

“Babe? What are you doing? Why aren't you using your key?” she asked with a frown while she walked up to him.

“Left it in there.” he motioned to the door with his head and got up from the floor. “Hey.” he greeted her with a little kiss when she was in front of him.

“Hey. Why did we have a key made if you forget to take it with you? You're gonna put it on your keyring right the fuck now!” it came out harsher than she had meant to say it and it didn't go unnoticed.

“The hell crawled up yer ass and died? Bad day at work, huh?” he studied her while she unlocked the door.

“More like my last day at work.” she muttered and opened the door and stepped inside.

“What?” Daryl wasn't sure he heard right. “Whaddaya mean last day?” he asked while he followed her into the kitchen where she dumped her purse on the kitchen counter and dug out a letter, handing it to him before she got herself a glass and a bottle of wine. Daryl unfolded the letter, his eyes widening while he read.

“He fucking fired ya? Ain't no way he's allowed ta do that. Poor performance... bullshit.”

“You think?” she spat, immediately feeling sorry for it. She did not want to make him feel like he was to blame for this. “Geez, I'm in bitch mode. Sorry, baby.”

“Nah. Yer right to bitch at me. This one's all on me. He fired ya because'a me.” Daryl's face expressed so much guilt that Teddy wanted to cry.

“Don't you dare go there, Daryl. He is firing me because he is a major jackass. Poor performance,... maybe if his lovely wife had kept her mouth shut, I wouldn't have lost any patients or not all that much. Asshole.” Teddy muttered and took a big gulp of red wine.

“Ya lost patients? The fuck...? You didn't tell me that!” Daryl's mind was spinning. He really did ruin everything he touched. He was a Dixon through and through. He was ruining Teddy's life, her reputation, her career, all because he had selfishly allowed himself happiness by getting to know her and developing feelings for her. “That's why ya been home early some days.”

“Yeah. Idiots, they're all fucking stuck-up idiots. And my mother telling those people that Seattle's grunge folk have screwed up my mind certainly didn't help matters.”

“I ain't helpin' matters neither.”

“Stop, Daryl. Just don't go there, okay? That's why I didn't tell you about losing patients, because I knew you would blame yourself and I don't want that. I don't care about them. They are stupid, stupid people if they think I can't treat them right just because I date a wonderful guy with a fucked up family. They are just judgmental assholes, I don't care about them. Good riddance.”

“It ain't just them, though. It's yer whole fucking career.”

“So? I'll find another job, Daryl. And just so you know, I care way more about you than about working for my father, alright? He is trying to blackmail me by doing this, but he's got another thing coming. You are the best thing that happened to me in a long, long time. Maybe even the best thing that EVER happened to me. Don't think I'll let you go just because he forces me to look for another job. So please stop looking at me like a puppy dog that just shredded my favorite pair of heels, because this is not on you. Got it?” She had crossed the space between them and kissed him hard. Daryl wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned into her. He was conflicted. On the one hand he was so goddamn happy about what she had said and on the other hand he felt guilty and like he didn't deserve what she had said. The best thing to maybe ever happen to her? She must have had the mother of shitty lives then, because all he was doing was wrecking everything. He knew that was exactly what he was doing, even though she didn't see it that way.

“What now?” He asked after a moment of silently holding each other.

“I'll contact a lawyer on Monday and I guess for the time being I'll have to look for another job.”

“Where?”

“Guess I'll drive over to the Piedmont hospital and ask if they have any openings and if they don't I'll have to find something else. Cashier at Walmart or the gas station. Maybe I'll do some babysitting, like a little daycare or something. Uh, school nurse at the high school maybe.”

“And have all those teenage boys droolin' over ya, huh? Poor guys won't be able ta walk without their books in front of their dicks.”

“Eeeeeew, Daryl! Those are children!”

“Nah, teenagers. Trust me on that one, girl.”

“Well, not much of a difference whether they see me in my old office or in an office at school. Who cares, I don't know what's gonna happen anyway. Can we just forget this shit for two days?”

“Think that's gonna work?” Daryl doubted that they would be able to forget about her own father firing her over her dating choices.

“Sure, this will help.” She smiled and waved the bottle of wine around.

“Fixin' ta get lit, are ya? Think you'll find the answer to all this shit at the bottom of that bottle?” Daryl kind of understood that she wanted to get drunk and forget, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. Ever since she told him about how she used to get drunk damn near every day as a teen, seeing her have more than one drink worried him. He knew how easy it was for somebody to slip into making it a daily habit.

“Not the answer, no. Just a nice way to space out for a couple of hours. Why? What's that look for?”

“Nothin'.” Daryl shrugged nonchalantly, but his eyes told a different story when he started chewing his lip.

“Good. Here, you're gonna get wasted with me.” she said while she handed him a glass, but Daryl didn't take it.

“No. I won't. I turn into a major bastard when I'm drunk. Like him.” he said referring to his old man. That sobered Teddy back up a little and she put both glasses down. 

“Sorry. You're right. Getting drunk won't help. It'll just make me feel like shit in the morning.”

“Exactly. And ya need ta get to that hospital. Better do it tomorrow instead of Monday. This thing won't pay for itself.” Daryl muttered while he waved his arms around, referring to her apartment.

“Shit. I didn't even think about that.”

“Yeah, ya ain't low-maintenance, Doc. This apartment, yer car, all yer pretty shoes and dresses... all that beauty shit ya don't even need. Ya spend money on getting yer nails done, hell woman, we got those at birth for fuckin' free. Don't know why the fuck ya can't paint them yourself. Other chicks do, too. Just cause ya got money ya gotta pay somebody ta do it for ya? It's goddamn stupid. Waste of money, but of course ya ain't never had ta worry about not bein' able ta make rent. Well, ya have ta now. How's it feel?” Daryl started talking himself into a rage out of nowhere, startling Teddy and even himself a little. He was aware of his insecurities where their jobs and their vastly different incomes were concerned, he just hadn't been aware of much it was actually bothering him. The more he thought about it, the more he found himself to be relieved about the prospect of her having to take a job that would pay less. It was fucked up of him to think that way, but he couldn't help it. It was like it was coded into his male genes. He was the man, he wanted to be the provider, but in this scenario he would never be with Teddy's salary being much higher than his. It made him feel inadequate and no man likes feeling like that.

“Wow.” Teddy looked at him wide-eyed, her mouth hanging open a little in shock. “Pile on, why don't cha? You know what? Guess I'll need this after all.” She told him, picking the wine bottle back up and walking into the living room.

“Jackass. Goddamn jackass, gonna ruin everything.” Daryl muttered to himself while he rubbed his hands over his face. He took a moment to collect himself before he followed her into the other room. He felt even more like shit when he saw her hastily wipe a tear from her cheek when he entered. She was huddled into “her” corner of the couch, her knees up against her chest, the blanket from the back of the couch covering her legs, her face cuddled into the throw pillows that she had propped up against the back of the couch and the wall, seeking comfort from the inanimate objects since Daryl wasn't the one to give it to her right now.

Daryl sat next to her, he looked at her, but didn't know what to say. Teddy felt him stare at her, but she didn't turn her head to look at him. She took a sip of wine directly from the bottle, then she held it out towards him. Daryl accepted the offer of alcohol this time and took a long swig from the bottle. Teddy took it back from him and took another big sip.

“So...” she started quietly, “not so deep down you still think of me as some kind of rich bitch, yeah?”

“C'mon, Doc. Ya know I didn't mean it.”

“Don't call me that. I actually hate it, especially in bed. Works like a cold shower every time.” Teddy said softly, but it still sounded very harsh to Daryl's ears.

“Yeah right. Got claw marks on ma back and arms that tell a different story, DOC.”

“God, just shut the fuck up. I don't wanna hear another word out of you. You hurt me enough for one day.” Teddy had to blink to keep the fresh set of tears from falling.

“I ain't the one who fired ya.”

“No, but you're the one who called me names after I told you that you are more important to me than everything I've worked hard for to achieve. After I told you that I'd gladly throw away my family and all my years of school and training if it meant I'd get to stay with you,... Looks like we have completely different ideas about what this thing between us is.”

“Never called ya names.”

“Maybe not literally, but it was in there. Loud and clear.” Teddy let out a bitter laugh. “And this time you didn't even say you were sorry, so to me that means that you did mean it. Every word. Shit, you can't even call me by my name, Daryl. I have to ask myself here, what am I to you? One of your fuck buddies? Just a nice, warm hole for you to bury your cock in? A distraction to keep you company until you get your brother back? Huh? What?”

“Ya ain't in yer right mind, woman. I'm outta here. I ain't dealin' with all this bullshit of yers. Call me when ya find yer brain.” Daryl switched on the anger full-force. He had to or else he would be crying right along with her, because he was hurting too damn much on the inside. He had to let her got, he'd been selfish by being with her and it destroyed her life. He was used to things being shitty, but she didn't deserve that. He had to make sure she would go back to her old life and be happy. It wasn't too late for her, she'd just have to go to her Daddy and tell him they'd broken things off and everything would be back to normal for her.

Teddy jumped up from the couch, following him to the door, lunging past him to keep him from opening it. “No, Daryl. Please, don't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, please don't leave. Don't do this.” she wrapped her arms around him tightly and buried her face in his chest, begging him to stay. “This is exactly what they want, Daryl. They want to break us apart, we can't let them win. I don't want to loose you. I can't loose you. Please don't do this.”

“Shit, girl...” Daryl muttered, his own tears stinging his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He was exhausted, he'd never gone through so many different emotions within this short amount of time. Well, yes he had, when all these feelings for her had rushed through him that one Sunday morning, but this was different. This was the mother of all emotional rollercoasters. He slowly wrapped his strong arms around her and hugged her to him as hard as he could. His anger and his resolve to leave her dissipating with the crying and begging Teddy in his arms. He was such a major dick, he didn't even need alcohol to be one. 

They stood there hugging the hell out of each other for what seemed like an eternity. Teddy's silent tears were wetting his shirt, but he could care less. They were comforting each other and slowly rebuilt their sanity and strength through their physical contact. Daryl kissed the top of her head and buried his nose in her hair.

“Ya really hate when I call ya Doc?” he eventually asked quietly to test the waters. He was relieved beyond belief when he felt her chuckle reverberate against his hands on her back even before the sound hit his ears.

“I do. It's not very sexy to hear. How would you feel if I'd call you Mechanic all the time?”

“Yeah, 'kay. Ya got a point. Why didn't ya say something sooner?”

“Don't know. Never the right time?”

“Next time, just fucking say it. Hey, and ya ain't no distraction or a warm hole or nothin'. Ya know that, right?”

“I don't know,... I just hope I'm not.” she mumbled into his chest, not daring to look up at him.

“Ya ain't. Never was, never will be.”

“What about the rich girl thing?” she tensed when she heard and felt him inhale deeply and her heart sank a little. “You meant it.”

“Let's sit, c'mon.” Daryl pulled out of their embrace and led her back to the living room and to the couch. Before he sat down with her, he grabbed the bottle of wine and took it to the kitchen and poured it in the sink. No more alcohol-fueled arguments today.

“It's weird for me.” he started when he was back by her side. “You making more money than me, I mean.”

“I understand that. I know men don't like that kind of thing. But you should know by now that I'm not... I don't know,... rubbing it in your face or anything.”

“I was being a dick. I didn't mean ta hurt ya, but I did. You're right, ya don't rub it in ma face or nothin', ya don't act like yer better than me, ya don't act like a rich girl. What I said was uncalled for, I'm sorry. It's tough fer me, though, I can't deny that. Maybe it's that alpha male in me,... that's what ya call it, right? I said I was gonna take care of ya, I can do that in most aspects, but I ain't never gon' be able ta take care of ya where money is concerned and that fucking sucks fer me.”

“I get it. I do, but this is just the way it is, Daryl. I don't know what's going to happen with my job, but if I get reinstated or get a job at the hospital or in another practice in another town around here, then it's something you will have to learn to deal with. It's just a job, it's just money, Daryl, it doesn't reflect on who's boss in this relationship. It's not like I'm gonna push a hundred dollar bill into your hand and tell you to go and buy yourself something pretty. I won't ever try to emasculate you and that's all I can really say about it, the rest is up to you. It's just money. Just a number on a paycheck, not defining in any way.” Teddy's voice sounded extremely tired by the end. When she had woken up this morning next to Daryl, all happy and warm and fuzzy, she hadn't expected for the day to take such a sharp turn. She had never been more tired in her entire life, not even after working two days straight.

“Imma head home, clear ma head.” Daryl sighed. His thoughts were too clustered to sort anything out right now. It was like a rocking chair, moving, but not going anywhere. 

“You're gonna come back, right? This is just a break for you to think not a break up? Right?” Teddy was a little panicked by the fact that he was still intent on leaving.

“Yeah, jus' ta think.” he leaned over slowly, giving her enough time to pull away in case she didn't want to kiss him, but Teddy put her hands on his face and pulled him closer, their lips meeting gently. Teddy had to keep herself from crying and begging again, she felt so needy right now that she hated herself. She didn't want him to go, she wanted to curl up in his arms, watch some bad TV and fall asleep. “I'll be back tomorrow. I promise.” he whispered against her lips and kissed her again.

“Okay.” she had no choice but to relent. She'd promised him that she would always give him his space and so she would do just that. One more long kiss and he was gone, leaving Teddy to feel incredibly sad and empty. 

###### ######## ####### ####### ####### ########

Despite being extremely tired Teddy hadn't slept at all. At six in the morning she dragged herself off the couch and into the bathroom to undress and take a shower. Afterward she made herself a coffee and went to her home office, turning on her computer and updating her resume before printing it out. She did it all on auto-pilot, not really thinking about anything but Daryl. She was scared that he'd call or just text and say that he wouldn't be able to deal with everything and that they should call it quits. The thought alone of that happening made her feel like she was dying a slow and painful death. Teddy had never gotten this attached to anyone in this short amount of time, just another sign to her, that he really was her other half. If he decided that she wasn't his other half he'd been missing all his life, she'd just crumble to the floor and stay there until it was all over. She knew it. She had barely survived losing her son and although it had been years ago, it was a wound that would never ever heal completely. They both meant so damn much to her. Losing Daryl, too would tear that wound open wider and wider until there was absolutely no chance left to ever repair it. Yes, she was in one hell of a dark place that morning and if it wouldn't be unethical she'd prescribe herself a dose of happy pills to get through the day, but unfortunately coffee and sheer willpower would have to do.

Of course the hospital wasn't hiring right now, they were understaffed but budget cuts didn't allow for them to take on anyone new, so Teddy would have to look elsewhere. So she decided to take the 45 minute drive to Marietta, but the hospital there was only hiring registered nurses and physical therapists. After that she drove another half hour to Atlanta and spent hours driving from clinic to clinic and talking to their administrators, but her efforts were in vain. The only good thing that happened was that Daryl called her around 3 pm, asking where the heck she was. He'd been waiting at her apartment for almost two hours. She told him about her unsuccessful job hunt and that she had one last stop to make and that she'd be there in about an hour. They hung up a moment later and Teddy got out of her car and walked up to her last destination before she headed home to Daryl. 

Her father was smirking from where he stood on the porch in front of the door. “Theodora. I was wondering when you'd show up.”

“We gotta talk.” Teddy said with a stony expression on her face.

“Yes, I think you are right. Come on in.” He led her into his study and let her sit in front of his desk before he took his seat in his big leather chair behind his huge desk. The polished dark smoked pine wood was glinting almost dangerously in the dim light of the desk lamp. The skies had darkened considerably with the rainstorm that had started brewing and thunder started clapping outside. 

'How fitting...' Teddy thought before her father spoke up.

“I assume you are here in regards to my letter?”

“Yup. You do know that what you're doing is illegal, right?”

“I am aware of that, but it's not like we are going to trial. This just served as a wake-up-call for you, Teddy.”

“I figured as much.”

“And it obviously worked. I'm sure that little digression was fun and exciting for you, but I think you will agree with me that you and that boy never would have had a future together. You are from two different worlds. Completely different. These things just never work out.” Gerald Robertson was smiling broadly, very content that his plan had worked. He knew his daughter and he knew threatening her career would steer her back on the right path.

“Ooooh, so you think your dirty little trick worked? No actually it didn't. Not at all. Daryl isn't a fun little digression. It's the real deal.”

“Teddy, please. How old are you? 13 again? This is a little crush at most. Don't take it so seriously. You've known that boy how long?” Gerald waved her off, treating her like a dumb little girl.

“You always told us about how you met Mom. How you saw her and just knew that she was the one for you. That in that moment the earth stood still, your heart stopped beating and you stopped breathing when she looked into your eyes and smiled at you for the first time? That you felt like she made your heart explode? I always thought it was a load of sappy bullshit, to be honest. But do you remember the moment you came into my hospital room the day I gave birth? How you and Mom started crying as soon as you stepped foot in that door, just from seeing the little bundle in my arms? How your face hurt from smiling so big when you held him in your arms for the first time, because you were so happy? That is exactly how Daryl makes me feel every single time I see him and I am not about to give that up. For nothing. If that complicates your life and ruins your reputation I am very sorry about that. If you have to fire me to keep your business up and running then you have every right to do so. But do it the right way and don't play childish games. My contract states that you have to give me one week notice for every month you employed me in my first year, so I am entitled to two more weeks of employment and pay. If you really want me out and you want to look for a new doctor who will be able to help you better with the workload, I won't put up a fight and I'll leave after those two weeks, no questions asked. If you wish to continue playing your games, though, I will be contacting a lawyer on Monday and we will go to court and since you have no case here you will be forced to either reinstate me or compensate me for my losses, so not exactly a win/win situation for you.”

“You're serious?” Gerald wasn't quite able to believe what he was hearing and he wasn't sure if maybe Teddy wasn't the one playing games now.

“Yes. I agree, I have lost patients, I am no longer of as much help to you as I used to be pre-Daryl. It has never been my intention to put your reputation or your business at risk, so if that's what my relationship with Daryl is causing, you are right to let me go. All I ask of you is to go about it the correct way. As your daughter I think you owe me as much. After that, I will be out of your business and your life.”

“And all that for that boy? You really choose him over your job? Your life? Us?”

“Yes. He is a better man than you will ever be. He has his flaws and faults, but nobody is perfect. In the end he is the better man. He wins. By a landslide. So the thing you have to be aware of here is that you won't be losing me just as a doctor in your practice, but that you will also be losing me as your daughter. If your reputation at the country club is more important than that, then God bless and good riddance.” Teddy stared her father straight in the eyes, not leaving a single doubt in Gerald's mind that she meant every word she said.

“It is your intention to cut all ties with us if we decide to not support you dating that boy?”

“Stop calling him 'that boy'. His name is Daryl, he is 35 years old, he has a steady job, the same job your son has, by the way. He is not much of a talker, but he is smart as a whip and fiercely loyal. He has had a horrible family life, but he has chosen not to step into his father's or brother's footsteps. He doesn't take drugs, he only drinks socially, just like you and me and he's been cooking for me every single day in the past week to make sure that I have something nice to eat instead of stuffing my face with that horrible crap that I make or fast food. He is struggling to make ends meet, he doesn't have a closet full of nice clothes, his truck is falling apart, his apartment is tiny and has rusty pipes, but you wanna know why? Because he is always cleaning up his brother's messes. Yes, he looks wild and unkempt, he has kinda random tattoos, but he is beautiful. He has dreams, wonderful dreams of living in the woods in his own house, but he can't make them come true, because every time he puts money away his brother fucks up again or he steals it to buy drugs and it's all gone and he Daryl is back to square one. He is honest and hard-working, he has a lot going for him, but he is cursed by his stupid last name. That is all people see. It's all they wanna see, because it is so much easier just to judge than to put in the effort to get to know that person, to break through his walls he built to protect himself from mean gossip and hurtful comments. He has a kind and gentle soul. He is shy. He is giving and selfless, but he considers himself to be a nobody because of people like you. He doesn't deserve that. If you can't support your daughter being with a wonderful man who makes her unbelievably happy, then yes, I will cut all ties with you and Mom. No calls, no visits, no parties, no holidays and if I pass you on the street, I'll look the other way.”

“I see.” Gerald was no longer smiling. He knew now that Teddy was indeed completely serious.

“You have until tomorrow night to decide and let me know what you want to do. We can go to court and have this end very ugly or you do right by me and terminate my employment as agreed upon in my contract or you reconsider and give Daryl a chance and actually try to get to know him before you pass any judgment on him. Ball is in your court.” Teddy said and got up. She had said everything she had wanted to say. Now it was up to her father to make up his mind.

“Alright. I will let you know by tomorrow night.” he agreed and got up as well. He wanted to walk her to her car, but Teddy was already halfway out of the house before he had even left his study. He watched with a heavy heart as she drove off. He missed talking to her. He felt a hand on his shoulder and reached up to put his on top of it. “Did you hear what she said?” he asked his wife. He had asked her to give him and Teddy privacy when he'd seen her car pull up, but he knew she had stayed within earshot, probably right outside of the door that he hadn't closed.

“Yes, I heard. We'll think about it. Come on, coffee is ready.” Bernadette removed her hand from his shoulder and went into their living room, Gerald following after he had closed the front door.

####### ####### ###### ###### ####### ######

When Teddy entered her apartment only a couple of minutes later, she was greeted by a cloud of smoke and the sound of something sizzling in her frying pan. It made her smile. If he was cooking then things couldn't be that bad. She followed the smoke into the kitchen and her stomach clenched hard when she saw him standing in front of the stove in his tight, form-fitting black t-shirt with the sleeves so short that the devil tattoo on the inside of his arm was visible. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind, kissing the back of his neck sweetly.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” he replied and squeezed her hands that were resting on his stomach with one of his much bigger hands, while giving her a little smile over his shoulder.

“What's that?”

“It's about to be seared venison.”

“Venison? Never had that.”

“First time for everything.” he shrugged, not giving Teddy a single hint about what kind of mood he was in. Suddenly he cleared his throat and shot her a little look over his shoulder. “It ain't a good name like Punishment Pancakes, but it's s'pposed ta be Apology Venison.”

“That is one hell of a suck-ass name!” Teddy laughed and finally got a kiss when he lifted his arm and tugged her into his side.

“Yeah, but your pancakes taste like ass and this won't so it kinda works out.” he smirked.

“Guess it does.” she smiled and stroked her hand along his spine.

“Can ya set the table? This is almost done.”

“Yeah sure.” Teddy went ahead and did what he'd asked and five minutes later she had her first taste of venison. Daryl almost laughed out loud, when he saw her face scrunch up.

“Ya just don't know what's good, woman!”

“Is it supposed to be this bitter?”

“Yeah. Don't like it then, huh?”

“It's okay. It won't be my favorite, but it's still in the okay-category.” The taste was unusual to her taste buds and even though not the best she ever had, it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

“Good, cause we're gonna have this a lot once I shoot ma next deer.” he smiled and reached out, fork still in his hand, but the prongs facing down towards the table, to wipe a bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth with his thumb.

“Awesome.” she mock shuddered, but on the inside she was insanely comforted by his touches. 

“Saves money.”

“Speaking of... were you able to clear your head? Think some more about last night?”

“Yeah. I was a dick. I'm sorry bout what I said. Look, I ain't gon' lie about it. I am kinda macho about this, I reckon, it is weird ta me that ya make more dough than me, but ya were right bout what ya said. It don't change nothin' between us. Ain't gonna like ya less because of it. Just don't start up any shit when I wanna take ya out, 'kay? I won't go broke by paying for dinner. Jus' let me do that stuff, alright? It's all I ask.”

“Okay. No problem. So we're good?”

“Yeah, all good. You accept ma apology?” when she nodded he got up from his chair and leaned over the table to plant a big kiss on her, making her giggle happily. “No luck on the job hunt then?”

“Nope,... but I went to see my father.” she saw his eyes snap up at her, then narrow suspiciously. 

“Why?”

“Just to talk. Making sure that he knows what he's doing and what consequences there would be. I kind of gave him an ultimatum. He either fire me the right way with two weeks notice if me working there really hurts his business or he will hear from my lawyer. He'll let me know by tomorrow night.”

“Think he'll do it the right way?”

“Would be stupid of him to let this go to court since he knows what he's doing is illegal. Well, we'll have to wait and see.”

“Hate waiting.” he muttered around a mouthful of venison.

“Me, too, but I think we'll find a way or two to pass the time.” she winked with a giggle, making Daryl shovel his food into his mouth a lot faster.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

His voice floated around her. It was low, gravelly and oozing sex and confidence. So different from the way he carried himself out there in the world with other people around. Different from the way she carried herself out there. He was introverted and quiet. She was outgoing and chatty, but when it was just the two of them, he changed and so did she. He felt safe to let go and be open with her, to unleash his most primal urges, and she felt safe enough to let him guide her and make her explore things she had never known she even wanted to explore.

“Whaddaya want?”

“I want you.”

“Whaddaya want me ta do?”

“I want you to put your cock in me.”

Daryl growled, his hard member twitching in response to her words. Teddy released a shuddering breath when he grabbed her harder and pulled her closer, her clit grinding more firmly against his shaft in the process. 

“That's what ya want?”

Teddy nodded fiercely, her eyes closed and her head thrown back in ecstasy while she moved her hips, rubbing her pussy against his length, desperate for some more of that delicious friction. Teddy struggled against his grip, wanting to put her hands on him and press his dick against her harder, but all she was able to do was keep grinding her pelvis against him. They were sitting on the middle of her bed, Teddy was straddling Daryl's lap, Daryl had his left arm slung around her back, trapping her right arm between her back and his arm, his hand gripping her left forearm tightly behind her back, keeping her restrained, close to his body and her tits pushed up towards his face, all at the same time.

“Answer me!” he said sharply and smacked his free hand down on her ass.

“Yes!” Teddy yelped and jumped a little from the sudden hit. Daryl smirked, a purely masculine smile, when he felt her shudder and wet his balls with her moisture in a little rush. The burst of pain had intensified her pleasure of the friction they were creating. She let her head fall forward against his shoulder, mewling when he gently caressed the stinging spot on her butt with his big warm hand. “Yes, that's what I want.”

“Good. I wanna give ya what ya want.” he whispered with his lips pressed against her ear. “Think ya waited long enough, hm? You good'n wet for me?” his hand slid from her butt cheek further down between her legs, pressing two fingers against her opening. “Mmmm, good girl.” He brought his fingers up and pressed them against her mouth. Teddy parted her lips and let him push his fingers inside so she could lick and suck them clean. Daryl soon replaced his fingers with his tongue, kissing her deeply while he used his hand to position his throbbing erection at her wet orifice. “Down.” his voice was strained, a small grunt leaving him when she did as she was told and pushed herself down onto his dick and he felt her tight heat engulfing him. His grip on her arm tightened when she started moving on top of him, gyrating her hips in a maddening rhythm, that made it hard for Daryl to keep his sanity. He bent his head and suckled on her nipple, letting his teeth graze it gently. His free hand moved down to rub her clit, making Teddy shudder and moan, her hips momentarily losing their rhythm. 

“Ya like it when I spanked ya?” he groaned against her tit.

“Yes.” Teddy breathed, her voice higher than usual.

“Can I spank ya again?”

“Yes, please.” Teddy had barely finished saying please when his hand had left her center and came smacking down on her but again. “Oh God, Daryl!!!” she moaned loudly, clenching her muscles around her reflexively with the hit. 

“Damn, girl. Yer so fucking hot. Gonna fuck ya good'n hard now!” 

He let himself fall on his back, not once loosening his grip on her. She was firmly pressed against his chest now with her arms still restrained by his. Daryl planted his feet on the mattress, his free hand grabbing the back of her thigh, holding her in place, then he thrust up into her hard and fast, just like he had promised. Teddy had no choice but to lay there and take it. Not that she minded. She loved it. She moaned against his neck and bit down hard when the pressure began to build, only spurring Daryl on even more. She wasn't the only one who got off on a little pain. A couple of frantic thrusts later she felt his dick twitch rhythmically inside of her while he came, followed by heavy gasps and groaned expletives. Teddy smiled contentedly against his neck, always happy about being able to give him pleasure. After a moment of catching his breath Daryl finally released her arms from his hold on them and gently pushed her off of him. He followed when she rolled on her back next to him, laying on his side next to her. Teddy's heart-rate picked up in excitement when she watched him push two of his fingers into his mouth only two withdraw the glistening digits a moment later and let them wander between her thighs. He pressed them against her clit, rubbing them back and forth in a steady motion.

“Ya close, darlin'?

“Yes.”

“Tell me what ya need.”

“Hurt me, baby.” 

Daryl groaned. Those words probably shouldn't turn him on so damn much, but it put him at ease to know that he never 'really' hurt her. His mouth wandered back down to her breasts where he lapped at her nipple, wetting it before softly blowing air against it, making it harden instantly. Teddy shivered and cried out loud when she felt his teeth sink into her soft flesh.

“Yes that's it, don't stop baby, don't stop now!” she chanted and Daryl felt her body lock up. He picked up the speed of his fingers and tugged on her nipple sharply with his teeth, grinning around it when Teddy started spasming and scratched up his arm in the thores of her orgasm. He loved when she did that, he proudly wore the marks of her pleasure that HE had given her.

“Oh God, baby,... you're amazing.” she breathed when her rush started to ebb off and she went limp in his arms.

“Nah, just know how ta handle ya.” he wanted it to sound casual, but his proud grin betrayed how happy he was about being able to make her feel good.

“That you do. Better than anyone.” she kissed him on the lips, letting her tongue push past them and mate with his while she let her hands run over his body. He always felt so damn good, she couldn't get enough of the feeling of his strong hard muscles underneath his smooth, tight skin. “It's still early. Wanna go to the living room and watch a movie? Or go out for a walk?”

“Movie sounds good. Kinda jonesing for some chocolate.”

“Good thing you bought like a gazillion chocolate bars.”

“Still don't get how ya don't like chocolate.”

“I never said I don't like it. I do, but most of the time I only crave it every other month when PMS hits. Otherwise I am more of a potato chips girl.”

“I know and ya ain't ever eatin' 'em in bed again. Worst night ever with those chips crumbs pokin' me all night long. Felt like I was sleeping on a freaking nail board.”

“Maybe we should get one of those little hand-held vacuum cleaners. That way you can get up and just vacuum it all away next time.”

“Ain't gon' be no next time, woman. Eat 'em on the couch like everybody else or I'll make you switch places with me in the middle of the night. How the hell did those crumbs end up on ma side anyway?”

“No idea.” Teddy giggled. “But it was fun hearing you grumble under your breath all night long.”

“Rotten woman.” Daryl mock-grumbled, before he leaned over and kissed her. Then he got out of bed to take a piss and freshen up. Teddy sat up and made a face when she felt traces of Daryl leak out of her. That part she really could do without, that was the only upside of condoms (apart from preventing pregnancy): Not having to deal with wet spots on the sheets. 

“Why don't you go and pick a movie, I'll change the sheets real quick when I'm done in the bathroom.”

“Fine. Want me ta get some chips out for ya?”

“No, I'm good. Still full from that late lunch.”

“That was hours ago.”

“Yeah, guess venison is pretty filling.”

“It ain't. Not sittin' well?”

“No it's alright. Just not hungry right now, baby. Don't worry.”

“'kay.” He kissed her and left for the living room while Teddy got her turn in the bathroom.

Soon they were comfy and cozy on the couch watching South Park because none of the movies Teddy owned had appealed to Daryl. She barely had any DVDs and the ones she had were mostly TV shows from her teenage years he could care less about. She just wasn't a big movie person. The only thing Daryl would have been interested in was her box set with all the Rocky-movies, which she only owned because she thought young Stallone was hot, but she had lent that to Billy and he had yet to give it back. So they just watched South Park while Daryl devoured chocolate bar after chocolate bar and chuckled occasionally at what was being said on screen while Teddy rested her head on his lap and enjoyed the evening until she eventually fell asleep. Daryl covered her with a blanket and gently played with her hair until he too succumbed to slumber.

####### ####### ###### ###### ####### ########

The next morning Daryl got up early, because he wanted to go see Merle at Pickens County Jail. Visitation time was between 8am and 10am and Daryl wanted to get there early to reserve himself his 30 minutes of visitation with his brother. The rules were strict. Visitation always ran in groups of six inmates and Daryl had to check in at the front desk to be assigned a slot. These slots were assigned on a first come first serve basis and if he was too late and all the slots had already been filled he had to go back home and wait until the next weekend to see Merle, since visiting hours were only in the mornings and Daryl had to work. Teddy knew he was going to see his brother, so he let her sleep and got ready as quietly as possible and sneaked out later.

He got there at 7am and was relieved to be one of the firsts to check in, so at exactly 8am his name was called and he got himself patted down by one of the guards before he entered the visitation area. Merle was brought in a minute later along with five other inmates, but none of them had that shit-eating grin that Merle always sported.

“Hey there, baby brother. Still no haircut, eh? Yer startin' ta look like a girl, son.”

“Good ta see ya, too, Merle.” Daryl inwardly rolled his eyes at his brother's comment. Always strike first before somebody else might deliver a blow. It was Merle's way of life and it always got him into trouble.

“Miss me like crazy, don't cha? So, what's the good word around town? The old bastard finally dead?”

“No, but he ain't doin' so good. Prolly won't take much longer.”

“Good. Let him drink himself ta death. Finally gets what's comin' ta him, dirty old fuck.” Merle muttered bitterly and Daryl knew better than to object.

“How ya doin' in here?”

“Same old, same old. Try'na keep ma head down fer once. Fixin' ta get outta here sooner rather than later.” 

“Hm.” Daryl grunted, not too pleased about the prospect of Merle getting out of jail too soon, now that he had Teddy in his life.

“Oh don't piss yer pants from joy, lil brother. Tell me, what have you been doin?” Merle asked, sensing that his brother had something to tell him from the way he'd been squirming.

“Not much,... kinda uhm,... kinda started seein' someone.” he admitted, looking anywhere but at his brother.

“Seein' someone? Like a shrink?” Merle asked with a frown.

“Not a shrink, man! I ain't insane!” Daryl snarled at his older brother. Then he cleared his throat and averted his gaze again. “I met someone. A girl. A woman... been seein' her like two weeks now. Maybe longer,... don't know if all that stuff before counts... officially...”

“The hell ya rantin' on about? Ya ain't just fuckin' that broad?”

“No, we're like... together. Couple.” Daryl stammered nervously and started biting his lip in earnest after getting the words out.

“The fuck ya doin'? Did I teach ya nuthin? Ya fuck 'em, ya leave 'em. Ain't no chick worth more than a quick ride. Ya stay with them longer they start pullin' yer money outta yer pockets. Hell, I leave ya alone fer two months and ya go shackin' up with some skank? Who is it?”

“You don't know her. Her name's Teddy.”

“Teddy?” Merle spat with disdain. “Kind'a hooker name is that?”

“It's short for Theodora,... Robertson. Billy's sister. Ya know, from work.” Daryl kept chewing his lip, watching Merle's brow furrow in confusion.

“He ain't got no sister!”

“Yeah, he does. Twin sister. Just didn't live here. Moved here right around the time they locked ya up.”

“Hell, son! Gettin' involved with a goddamn Robertson? That's even worse than some skank. Don't ya know who her folks are? Biggest judgmental pussies in town. Yer settin' yerself up for trouble here.”

“Maybe. But she's a good one. Told her folks to go fuck themselves when they gave her hell for datin' me. They even fired her, but she don't care. Wants ta stay with me more than keep working for her Daddy.” Daryl explained, hoping against all odds that he would be able to get Merle to be happy for him.

“She workin' fer her Daddy? Aww no, c'mon boy, don't tell me she's a damn doctor.”

“She is. Specializes in working with little kids and babies, but does other stuff, too. She treated Pa. She was the one who stitched me up, too.” Daryl forgot who he was talking to for a moment, a little smile playing along his lips when he talked about Teddy. That smile left his face pretty soon, though, when Merle started chuckling and then full out laughing.

“Oh man. Yer such a fuckin' fool, lil brother. What do ya think this is? A damn soap opera? The lady doctor falls in love with the piss poor redneck? Ya ain't nothin' but a charity case ta her. Don't know what she wants with ya sorry ass, but I tell ya, somethin' smells rotten here.”

“Shut up! It ain't like that. She ain't one of 'em stuck up bitches. Ya ain't got no idea what you're talking about.” Daryl started shouting.

“Don't be an idiot, son. You know what we are to those people: redneck trash and nothing more! But you're drownin' in pussy and can't think straight.” Their shouting alerted the guards and they quickly interrupted their argument.

“That's it Dixon. Visitation's over. You guys know the rules.” 

“Fine. I'm outta here. Don't know why I came in the first place.” Daryl spat and got up to walk out of the room.

“Yeah, go back to being her fucking boy toy. That's all yer good for.” Merle snarled and the two brothers shot each other hard looks while Merle was taken back to his cell.

'Fucking asshole. Should'a stayed in bed with ma woman.' Daryl thought angrily while he stomped out of the County Jail. What a waste of time. Why did he even tell Merle about Teddy? He knew Merle would make fun of it, but he had wanted to share. How fucking stupid of him. He could have gone another ten months without telling him,... IF Teddy wanted him that long. Now the cat was out of the bag and Merle would make sure to bring it up during every visit, Daryl knew that for a fact.

He drove back to Teddy's apartment, he hoped she would still be in bed and he could shrug off his clothes and get in there with her and wake her up in a special way. However when he unlocked the door and stepped inside, Teddy rushed towards him, dressed in her short black, satiny robe.

“Dar-”

'Good enough', Daryl thought and threw the keys into the bowl to join hers and before she could even finish saying his name he had slammed his lips down on hers and had grabbed the backs of her thighs, roughly lifting her into his arms with her legs around his waist. Teddy made a whimpering noise in the back of her throat while his tongue curled around hers and tried to push him away, but it didn't really register in Daryl's brain while he pushed her up against the door-frame that led to the living room.

“Daryl!” she pressed out against his lips, still trying to push him away by pressing her hands against his chest.

“What?” Daryl asked impatiently. “Want cha!” he froze when he heard somebody clearing their throat in the living room. Daryl pulled his mouth from hers and stared at her wide-eyed.

“Yeah, well, we're not alone...” Teddy trailed off and Daryl finally turned his head and looked over to the couch. Bernadette and Gerald Robertson sat on Teddy's couch, watching them with interest. Teddy's father wore a deep frown, clearly unhappy about someone expressing sexual desire for his daughter and actually having to see Daryl push her up against the door-frame and kissing her like that was not helping at all. Teddy's mother on the other hand looked on with an arched eyebrow and she looked like she was fighting to keep the amusement to show up on her face, but only half-succeeding.

“Honey, I think it's time to let me down now.” Teddy whispered and Daryl quickly released her and took a big step back until he bumped into the other side of the door-frame with his back.

“Sorry.” he mumbled and started chewing on his thumbnail, carefully glancing over to the couch through his bangs, that he gladly let fall into his face now, feeling a bit more secure with a bit of a curtain hiding his face.

“Like I said, I'm getting dressed real quick. We'll be right back.” Teddy told her parents and took hold of Daryl's hand to drag him with her. She closed the bedroom door behind them and noticed that Daryl looked a little panicked. “Don't freak out, okay? It's gonna be fine, they wanna meet you and get to know you a little. It's a good thing. Just keep your cool and try not to antagonize them, I know it might be hard not to do that, trust me it's not easy for me to stay calm either, but I want this to go well, okay? But if they do get out of line, you don't need to hold back.”

“Shit, man. I ain't good with this. I'll fuck it up!”

“No you won't. It's going to be okay. I'm right there with you. We'll get through this together.” She kissed him gently, trying to ease his panic, but it didn't seem to be working. Teddy pulled on some sweatpants and a top before she turned back to him and brushed his hair out of his eyes. “They'll like you, I'm sure of it.”

“Pfff right. That's why he fired ya, because he likes me so damn much.”

“Daryl, they judged you because of your last name. It was shitty and wrong of them to do that, but it looks like I got through to him yesterday and they finally want to get to know the real you and the real you is pretty fucking awesome. I am sure they will love you once they've met you a couple of times. Just relax. Come on.” They went back out and found her parents in the kitchen. Her mother was already seated while her father put some more things on the table.

“We brought breakfast. We didn't know what you liked, Daryl, hopefully there will be something on this table that will be to your liking.” Bernadette smiled pleasantly at him. 

“Looks good, ma'am.” Daryl mumbled shyly. He had a death grip on Teddy's hand, he felt completely out of his element and uncomfortable when her mother looked at him studiously, taking in every single feature, like she was memorizing him. They sat down, Teddy across from her father and Daryl across from her mother, giving her even more opportunity to study him. Daryl looked down while he chewed his lip nervously, only glancing up every couple of seconds, trying to get a clue what was about to happen.

“Daryl is like a goat, he eats pretty much everything.” Teddy smiled and rubbed her hand over his arm affectionately, hoping he would be able to relax a little soon.

“Even your horrible concoctions?” Gerald asked curiously.

“No not really. He eats them if he has to. He finished a whole plate once! Without throwing up, I might add.”

“How on earth did you do that, son?”

Daryl shrugged and looked up at her father for a second. “Really wanted her ta come with me...”

“Oh it was kind of like his way of asking me out for our first date. We made a deal, if he would finish the whole thing I would have to accompany him to a party in the woods. And what can I say? He put that stuff away like a champ.” Teddy smiled proudly, while Daryl blushed.

“Oh my, that shows just how much you really wanted to go out with her.” Bernadette laughed with a shake of her head.

“Felt like shit after. The food, I mean.” Daryl mumbled quietly, mentally slapping himself upside the head for not wording his sentence differently, but from the sound of Bernadette's laughter she didn't seem to mind that he'd cursed.

“Brave man.” she smiled before she took a sip from her coffee cup.

“So you work with Billy, yes?” Gerald asked next.

“Yes, sir.” Daryl answered as politely as he could muster and even though he didn't show it, Gerald appreciated the effort.

“How do you like it?”

“I love it. I always liked working on cars and bikes. Already tinkered with them with ma Pa and brother when I was real little.” Daryl answered truthfully. He was still squirming, but he started to get more comfortable with the situation.

“How is your father doing? Have you seen him since he was diagnosed?”

“Yeah, he ain't lookin' good. All yellow and his veins are weird.” Daryl sighed deeply. He still couldn't comprehend how his father wasn't doing anything to save himself.

“Spider Angiomas.” Gerald sighed, looking at Teddy this time.

“Yeah, he is progressing quickly, I guess. He is literally drinking himself to death.”

“I wanted ta donate...” Daryl mumbled, not really knowing what else to say.

“That would have been a noble thing to do, son, but I don't think it would have worked for your father. He would have kept drinking and after some time this whole thing would just repeat itself and you would have taken the risks of that procedure in vain.”

“That's what I said.” Teddy told her father. “Daryl just has a hard time accepting that there is nothing he can do.”

“There really is nothing you can do, Daryl. Other than to convince him to stop drinking.” Gerald said.

“I tried. He thinks he ain't sick.”

“You can't help him anymore, honey.” Teddy squeezed his leg comfortingly. 

“What do you do in your free time, Daryl? When you're not spending it with our daughter.” Bernadette steered the conversation back to Daryl.

“I hunt.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, I can track and I'm a good shot. I like it.”

“What do you do with the animals you shoot?” Bernadette didn't really have a concept of how hunting worked, but she was interested and happy to learn about Daryl's favorite past-time.

“Gut 'em, skin 'em, cook 'em, eat 'em.”

“Really? You eat it? I thought you maybe take them to the taxidermist and have them stuffed. I never realized that hunters eat those animals.” Bernadette was intrigued and leaned forward on the table with her chin resting in her hand, wanting to hear more about it.

“Nah, I hunt ta eat it. Saves money. Sometimes I get an order for a deer or a boar and I go out and hunt it and sell it to that person.” Daryl finally relaxed and was able to be more enthusiastic while talking about hunting.

“That is so interesting. That means if we are having a dinner party and wanted to serve deer, I would call you and ask you to go shoot one?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“How much would that cost?”

“'bout 200 bucks.”

“200 dollars for a whole deer? That's a good price. And you even gut it and all that stuff?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Darlin' you are selling yourself short for doing all that work! How long are you out in the woods for when you hunt for a deer?” Bernadette was warming up to Daryl surprisingly quick to her own surprise. She couldn't help it, there was something utterly endearing about him that woke the motherly feelings inside of her. And she was still a red-blooded woman, she had to admit Daryl really had a nice built and a wonderful pair of arms. She understood how her daughter had become smitten with him.

“Depends. Sometimes it just takes an hour, sometimes it can take a lot longer or I don't find one at all.” Daryl explained, blushing when she'd called him darling.

They kept talking for almost another two hours and Teddy was surprised by how well-behaved they were. They didn't ask offending questions and they weren't giving him the third degree. The rest of the time it was mostly Teddy and her parents talking, trying to include him and learn a bit more about him. Teddy was still a little wary, but she was also very proud of her parents for giving Daryl a genuine chance and she was very proud of Daryl. He had really handled it well. Still, when her parents left the apartment he released a deep breath and threaded his hands through his hair. 

“That wasn't so bad, was it?” Teddy smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

“It seemed okay, but I ain't gonna lie. Was nerve-wracking. Ain't never done this before.”

“I figured, but you were perfect. Seriously, you handled it very well.”

“Didn't feel like they hated me.” Daryl mumbled, while he shuffled his feet. He needed her reassurance that he wasn't imagining that.

“No they don't hate you. The whole thing would have gone completely different if they wouldn't have liked you. I told you so, didn't I? They just needed to get their act together and give you a chance. You're a good guy, they just needed to see that for themselves. All they knew was how your father and your brother were acting. Speaking of, how is your brother doing?”

“Don't ask. Hasn't changed, still an asshole.” Daryl sighed, willing the anger, that threatened to bubble up, back down.

“Awesome. Tell you what, how about we take a nice bath? I'll clean up the kitchen real quick and you get the bath ready and then we'll just take the rest of the day to relax and do fun things?”

“Fun things, huh? Sounds good ta me!” Daryl smiled and kissed her lips sweetly and got right on drawing that bath for them.

####### ###### ####### ####### ####### ###### #######

“What did you think, sweetheart?” Bernadette asked her husband when they were in their car to drive back home.

“Well,... Teddy told me that he was shy, but I really hadn't expected him to be shy. Not like that.”

“Me neither. I like him, Gerald. I think looks are deceiving in his case. He seems sweet. And young, very young.” Bernadette said. She was still convinced that he looked like a criminal, but the way he behaved was the complete opposite.

“Yes, his emotional and social development surely suffered from his upbringing. I think it is still too early to tell if he is really as nice and sweet as he seems, but I have to agree, he isn't nearly as bad as his reputation.”

“And he is absolutely smitten with our daughter.”

“Obviously, judging from that horrible display we had to witness.” Gerald shook himself. That is something a father never wants to know about her daughter's life.

“Oh don't be such a prude. When we were that age we weren't any better.” Bernadette laughed.

“That is true, but we never did that in front of our parents.”

“The boy didn't know we were there, Gerald. Don't be like that. He was embarrassed when he realized we were there.”

“Yes ma'am.” Gerald chuckled. “I have to say, he does have manners.”

“He does. That was very cute. He already has a key to her apartment. Teddy is different with him. I think we better get used to the boy, Gerald. I get the feeling that he will be around for a long time.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes. A mother always knows. Daryl Dixon is here to stay.”


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next six weeks passed in a blur. Teddy, of course, had returned back to work after that Sunday morning breakfast with her parents and Daryl, and things had definitely quieted down. Her parents had declared every Wednesday night to be the night for a big family dinner and they had made sure to explicitly invite Daryl as well. The first time of having dinner at the Robertson house had been a culture shock for Daryl. Their dining room was like a dining hall and there were paintings and weird sculptures everywhere. The weirdest thing to him was that they had a maid, a 45 year old woman from Argentina, called Rosario, who always prepared the food and served it to them after. He had seen it in movies, but he'd never expected this to be a real thing, that people get served food in their own home by a maid. He always thanked her profusely, embarrassed by having the woman serve him, and Rosario got a kick out of it. She always had to suppress a giggle, instead she smiled real big at him and told him with her Spanish accent: "No worries, Mr. Daryl. Enjoy." Teddy just rolled her eyes, but with a proud smile on her face. Another woman smitten with Daryl's cute shyness.

Teddy often considered the dinner nights to be a drag, but it was a good thing for Daryl and her parents. They got to know each other and Daryl had really started to relax around them over the course of the past couple of weeks. He liked her parents, they had their faults and were a little overbearing and even silly at times, but he didn't have reason to complain anymore. Ever since he'd met them for the first time, they had been nothing but nice to him. He didn't tell Teddy, but he secretly loved the family dinners. Even though Bernadette did most of the talking and her country club gossip was boring, he enjoyed sitting at that table with Teddy and her family. It was normal and he had craved that kind of normalcy his entire life. He felt included and like he was a part of something real and good for once. He'd always wanted a family like this and he was insanely happy that they had accepted him into their fold. Also, the food was goddamn fantastic.

He also liked watching Billy and Teddy interact. They were bickering a lot and sometimes even full-on fighting right at the table, but it was clear that they loved each other dearly. He wished he could have had that kind of relationship with Merle, but it just wasn't meant to be. They'd always had to fight to survive the hell they had grown up in and it had hardened Merle to the point of no return. Merle was incapable of showing love and caring. Daryl was sure that deep down he did care in his own way, but he would never be able to really show it. Daryl also liked watching Billy and Maggie together. They had been together for over 2 years, while he and Teddy had been dating a mere two months by now. They seemed to have a real connection and they looked real happy every time Daryl saw them together. It made him wonder about what his future with Teddy would look like, if they would look that happy after two years together, if she would still look at him as adoringly as Maggie looked at Billy and if conversation would flow easily between them like it did for them.

"More ice-cream, Mr. Daryl?" Rosario's heavy accent tore him out of his thoughts and he quickly shook his head.

"Oh no, no thank you. I'm stuffed. It was awesome, though." Daryl gave her a little smile. It had been more than awesome, it was deep-fried ice-cream and it was the best thing he had ever had.

"Oh come on, sweetie, have some more. Give those guns some more ammo. That's how young people say it, right?" Teddy's mother pointed to his arms and looked at him questioningly while Daryl blushed a dark shade of red.

"Mother!" Teddy gaped at Bernadette, not able to believe what she was hearing, while Billy laughed out loud and Gerald frowned comically at his wife. She knew her mother just loved Daryl to death by now, always calling him sweetie and loving how it made him blush, but complimenting him on his physique took it a bit too far in Teddy's opinion.

"Oh settle down, I didn't mean it like that. You have to watch out, Daryl. She is a jealous one." Bernadette huffed and pointed at Teddy. "I meant that he could stand to put on a little weight. I think he lost some since I first saw him. Have you lost weight, sweetie?" She asked him, but didn't wait for his answer and just kept talking instead. "You're not giving him what he needs, Theodora. He is a hard working man, he needs good food when he gets home. You should put more effort in learning how to cook for him instead of making him cook for you every day."

"I don't MAKE him cook for me, mother."

"It wouldn't hurt if you would try to learn. Just set small goals. Pick one dish and work on perfecting it. Make it over and over again until you can do it and then go over to the next. You have to cook for your man, Theodora. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. You two are nearing the end of the honeymoon-phase, after the first three months a routine starts to settle in and boredom kills every relationship. Time to step it up, dear." Bernadette said with that sickly sweet smile that made Teddy's skin crawl.

"It's alright. I like cookin' for us." Daryl stepped in, trying to ease the tension that was quickly escalating on his girlfriend's part.

"You're sweet, but you work hard, you deserve to get pampered by your woman from time to time. It can't always be you doing that for her."

"Mom, do you even hear yourself talk? When was the last time YOU personally cooked a meal for Daddy?"

"You would be surprised. Just last week, dear. We have special nights when Rosario has her day off. That's the time when I take care of your father's needs."

"Oh God, I'm gonna black out." Billy groaned and made a face, while Teddy made gagging noises.

"Also, my dear daughter, the difference between you and me is, that I already have my man. We've been married for 30 years, he knows what he's got and he isn't fool enough to go looking elsewhere, because he knows he won't ever get another woman like me. You on the other hand don't seem to be doing much to keep Daryl by your side. Don't be so sure of yourself, Teddy. Sex is not everything. There are other needs that need to be fulfilled as well and you'd do good to find out what those are and take care of them."

"Mom, stop! We are not Billy and Maggie and we are not you and Dad. We haven't been together for years and years, it's just been 8 weeks and we are still figuring things out, alright? You see us once or twice a week, you have no idea what's going on between that, so please back off." Teddy's voice had risen in volume and the others started squirming uncomfortably from the ensuing awkwardness.

"I just worry. You've never had a real relationship before and after Milo died you got so closed off, sweetheart. Daryl is the first person you've opened yourself up to since that, you are so different when you are around him. Different from the way you were before. He makes you happy and I just want it to work out for the two of you. You are my daughter, Teddy and I know you. I know the good sides and I know the bad sides and I am sure Daryl hasn't seen all of you yet by a long shot. You have a hard time making compromises and you can be very selfish, Theodora. It's easy for you to just take and not give back, but in a relationship you have to give back and I want you to know that and really think about that before you hurt that sweet man next to you."

"That's enough, Mom. They are both adults and they will figure it out. If you keep talking like that you're gonna scare Daryl off for sure. It either works out or it doesn't, but you can be sure that your meddling is not helping. Let it go." Billy stuck up for his sister. His parents could never leave well enough alone. They weren't happy until there was some sort of discord, it seemed.

"I wanna go home." Teddy told Daryl, who quickly nodded, eager to get out of there himself."

"We'll walk you out." Billy and Maggie got up as well, while their parents just watched on silently.

"Why do you always have to do that? Everything's been going great for once." Gerald rubbed his face tiredly after the kids had left the dining room.

"Oh you know your daughter, Gerald. She needs a little push sometimes. Daryl has turned out to be wonderful for her, but she doesn't seem to put any effort into the relationship while Daryl just jumps at every occasion to do things for her. She can't just sit back and let him do it all the time."

"Bernie, you need to apologize once things calmed back down. You keep acting like Daryl is your son and Teddy is the in-law. We haven't done right by her more than enough, it's time to pipe down and let her handle her own life. I think she proved that she is able to make good decisions. We were the ones who were ignorant and prejudiced. If Daryl turns out to be unhappy with her, that is between them and they have to handle it on their own." He rubbed his temples while he talked to his wife in his stern voice. He knew she meant well, but she had the tendency to overstep boundaries.

"Fine. I'll call her tomorrow or on Friday and apologize. I just want her to stay happy."

"And that will probably work much better if we stay out of it, Bernie. It's going to be fine, don't worry."

####### ####### ####### ####### ###### #######

"Ya mad at me?" They were back at Teddy's apartment just a couple minutes later and Teddy had been completely quiet. It unnerved him a little.

"No. Why on earth would I be mad at you? You didn't do anything." Teddy gave him a quick peck on the lips while she passed him on her way to the fridge.

"Exactly. I didn't do nothin'. Should'a stuck up for ya."

"No, it was better that you kept quiet, trust me. Should have known something like this would happen sooner or later. It's been way to peaceful." Teddy muttered darkly while she poured herself a glass of 7Up. "Want some?"

"Yeah." Daryl got out another glass for himself and put it next to hers on the counter for her to fill up. "Was it true what she said?"

"Which part of her lovely, back-stabbing speech do you mean?" Teddy tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but didn't succeed at all.

"It true that ya ain't never really done this before neither?"

"Oh you mean the relationship thing? Don't know. I've had boyfriends, but I think you could say that it's never been serious. Casual stuff and never really lasted longer than a month or two."

"Hm. Two months, huh? Ain't getting tired of me yet, are ya?" he asked nervously and started chewing on his lip furiously right after getting the words out. Teddy smirked and walked over to the kitchen table where he had sat down on one of the chairs. She straddled his lap and leaned in to rub her nose against his, her voice a sexy whisper.

"Honey, I was down on my knees and had your gorgeous dick in my mouth within a minute of you walking in here after work today and half an hour later we did it like bunnies on this table. What do you think?"

"I think you jus' want me for ma body." he grinned, causing Teddy to giggle and rub her hands over his broad shoulders.

"It IS a nice body." She kissed him on the lips and got off his lap. "Tired. Let's sleep." Teddy left the kitchen, leaving a frowning Daryl behind. The exchange had only served to make him more nervous. If she saw this relationship as purely physical, what was there to stop her from dumping his ass once she's had her fill? Why didn't she say more? She had pretty much implied that his assumption was right, even if he had been half-joking. She was the woman, wasn't she supposed to reassure him that she wasn't just in this for the sex? But she hadn't. That meant it was just sex for her. But then why include him into her family? She and her mother had both said she'd never had a serious relationship, so did that mean this was her first one or did Teddy really not think of this as a real relationship? He was extremely confused. He didn't sleep that night, he tried to shut his mind off, but it didn't work, he just kept asking himself the same questions over and over again.

When Teddy's alarm rang the next morning he had just started dozing off and groaned loudly when he realized he had to get up. Teddy frowned, usually Daryl was up at the first sound, but today he just rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. This was also the first morning he hadn't been wrapped around her when she woke up.

"Daryl honey, don't feel good?" she peered over his shoulder with a concerned look on her face and rubbed his arm gently.

"Couldn't sleep. Fucking tired." he grumbled and pulled the blanket up to his chin. The fatigue caused him to get cold easier than usual.

"I'm sorry." Teddy kissed his shoulder and sat up. "I'll get you coffee and something to eat. Just stay here." She got up and walked to the kitchen to fix him breakfast while Daryl dragged himself into a sitting position and rubbed his tired eyes hard with his fists.

"Oh baby, you look so tired. It breaks my heart." Teddy sat down on the edge of the bed and handed him his coffee and some toast with grape jelly. "Do you feel sick?"

"I told ya, I couldn't fucking sleep. Ain't sick. Back off, Doc." he snapped at her.

"Fine. Enjoy your breakfast, Mechanic. Or should I say jerk? You're welcome by the way." Teddy snapped right back and immediately got up and walked into the bathroom to get ready for work, slamming the door behind her for good measure. She hated when he got like that for no apparent reason. It got less and less, but it still happened occasionally. She took her shower and wrapped herself in a towel and stepped up to the sink to brush her teeth, take her birth control and apply her make-up. It was her daily routine and she did it on auto-pilot, but when she was about to push her birth control pill into the palm of her hand, she froze. She was about to push the Wednesday pill into her hand, but today was Thursday. She knew that for sure because of the family dinner last night. She'd forgotten to take it yesterday. Daryl had come in and distracted her and it must have slipped her mind because she had left the apartment in a hurry after that good morning fuck on the bathroom counter.

"Shit. Of course, just fits right in with the way this day started." She stared at the pills, pondering how high the risk of getting pregnant would be. She wasn't too fond of morning after-pills, because she knew the side effects; they made you feel like crap for up to two days, but in the end she decided to pick some up on her break anyway. Better safe than sorry.

She went back to the bedroom a couple of minutes later to get dressed and found Daryl already buttoning his shirt. He glanced up at her for a moment and sighed deeply when she didn't look at him. "Guess it's gonna be pancakes for dinner, huh?"

"Yep." Teddy nodded. "Nice big stack of Punishment Pancakes while I will have some delicious Lifting Teddy's Spirits Pizza."

"'M sorry."

"I know. You always are." She put on her top and stilled for a moment, her eyes closing, when she felt his warm hands on her waist and his lips on her neck. She wriggled out of his grasp a second later and slipped her feet into her heels. "I have to go. I'll see you tonight." she gave him a quick kiss on the lips, showing him that even though she was mad, it wasn't something big that couldn't be fixed. She knew Daryl well enough to know that he would assume that this was it if she would have just left.

"Okay." he sighed and let his fingers slide over her arm while she walked past him. When he heard the front door close he rubbed his eyes once more and decided on another coffee before work. He'd probably have to gulp down a gallon in order to get through the day. He was in a really foul mood and everybody at work steered clear of him as soon as they noticed. All except for Billy.

"You look like hell, man. Listen, don't let my mother get to you, alright? She loves messing with this kind of stuff. Guess her life is too boring if she can't stir up shit. You guys doin' okay?"

Daryl just shrugged, not feeling like talking about it.

"Had a fight?" Billy pressed carefully.

"Not really, I guess. Jus' thinkin bout stuff..."

"So she did get into your head. Daryl, man, don't."

"Ain't just her. Teddy said stuff, too,... later. Got me thinking."

"About?"

"Ain't gonna talk bout it ta you."

"Maybe I can help?"

"Nah. Jus' leave it."

Billy nodded, he knew not to push Daryl any further. His temper and how quickly he could loose it, was infamous amongst his colleagues, so he did what Daryl told him to and left it alone. Daryl was glad that nobody talked to him for the rest of the work day. He couldn't wait to get home and straighten things out with Teddy and have shit back to normal, so he could get some sleep. A quiet evening was all he wanted, but of course he wouldn't get it.

When he entered Teddy's apartment in the late afternoon she was rushing towards the door with her bag in hand.

"Where you going?" he asked after she had pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"Emergency. Got called, gotta go. I'll be back soon." she told him quickly and then she was gone.

"Awesome." Daryl sighed and closed the apartment door behind him. He tossed his keys into the bowl and walked into the kitchen to get himself a nice cold beer from the fridge. He leaned back against the counter and took a big gulp, his eyes closing while the cool liquid made him relax a little. When he opened them again his gaze landed on a glass of water standing next to the sink and a little box sitting right beside it. His curiosity was piqued and he walked over and picked up the box, reading what was printed on it.

"Plan B, emergency contraceptive. Reduces the chance of pregnancy after unprotected sex. Take as soon as possible within 72 hours after unprotected sex... What the hell?" his gut tightened. These were fucking morning after pills. He checked the box and found that she had already taken one. His mind was in a jumble, he felt like he'd gotten hit with a sledgehammer. Was she pregnant? He didn't know how these things worked and there was no instruction leaflet in the box. His breath left his lungs when the thought that she was aborting his baby hit him. Without even asking him, without including him in anything. She hadn't even told him she was pregnant. If she was pregnant. Hell, whatever it was, she hadn't told him, she had just gone ahead and taken the fucking pill. He felt like he was about to fall into a blind rage, his fists were clenching and unclenching at his sides. He had a good mind to chase after her and ask her what the fuck was going on, but he knew he couldn't. He had to wait. He grabbed the box and his beer and sat down at the kitchen table to wait for her return.

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Teddy came back about two hours later and Daryl was already on his fourth beer, unfortunately it had done nothing to help him calm down.

"Hey. Took longer than I thought. I thought you'd be in bed already after the night you had." She leaned down to kiss his temple, but Daryl tore his head away. He started tapping two fingers on the pill box and gave her a hard look.

"Anythin ya wanna tell me?" his voice sounded downright menacing. Teddy looked down at the table and noticed the box.

"Oh those. Yeah, forgot to take my birth control pill yesterday." she shrugged casually, making Daryl's blood pressure rise even more. He couldn't believe she was being so nonchalant about this.

"That's it, yeah? I'm good enough ta fuck, but I ain't good enough ta have a baby with?" he started full on yelling right away and Teddy's eyes widened in shock.

"Daryl, calm down."

"Don't ya tell me ta calm down. Ya kill ma baby and don't even tell me bout it?" he was yelling so loudly that Teddy was sure the neighbors heard every single word, but she didn't care. His words were knocking the wind out of her and made her mad like hell.

"I did not kill your baby, are you crazy? Didn't you read the box? It's an emergency contraceptive, not a freaking abortion pill. It PREVENTS pregnancy, it doesn't terminate it. You get that? It prevents it from happening in the first place. It's a fucking precaution, not an abortion."

"So what? Ya still should'a told me before taking it, ya can't leave me outta that decision."

"Uhm, yes I can. There was nothing for you to decide, Daryl. It is like a replacement birth control pill. Does that mean I have to ask you permission for taking my birth control from now on?" she shouted at him.

"That ain't the same and ya know it."

"It's exactly the same. And I would have told you this morning if you hadn't been a jerk. I would have told you after work if I hadn't gotten called out for that emergency. You're getting upset over nothing." she explained, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Ain't nothing." Daryl replied sullenly.

"It IS nothing. I forgot to take my pill yesterday because we fucked and I was late for work and I thought better safe than sorry, because we had sex again before dinner yesterday."

"See? That's exactly the point. Better safe than sorry, the fuck is that supposed ta mean, huh? Me knockin' ya up would be that fucking horrible, that ya gotta take this shit and make sure that it ain't ever happenin'?"

"You're being ridiculous. How much beer have you had? You are seriously out of your mind right now and I already know who to blame for that. My lovely mother has done it again." Teddy scoffed, already thinking of some few choice words she wanted to throw her mother's way.

"Nah, this ain't on her. This is on you! She was right, fuck even my brother was right. I'm just your boy toy, ain't that right?" he pointed his finger at her and got in her face.

"My boy toy? Are you serious? Jesus, Daryl!" Teddy scoffed. This was getting ridiculous.

"Ya said it yerself. You don't do serious."

"I never said that. I said that I've never had a serious relationship before... until now."

"That's not what ya said last night... Last night I said ya only wanted me for ma body and ya didn't even deny it. So what does that make me other than yer fucking boy toy?"

"Mhm. So you think I'd give my boy toy a key to my apartment? After less than a week, no less? You think I take my boy toy to family dinners and spend every single night and day with him for two months straight? Think I go on evening strolls or camping with my boy toy? That I'd gladly give up my job or my family for a fucking boy toy?" Teddy asked him incredulously. She couldn't believe that he really thought that she would think of him as just some fling.

"So what the fuck are ya sayin'?" he snarled at her.

"I'm saying that I fucking love you, you stupid jackass!" Teddy yelled at him, shoving him against his chest with her little hands, trying to get some frustration out of her system. Daryl stumbled back, so shocked that he almost lost his balance. Teddy watched the color drain from his face while he gaped at her. "Yeah, how's that for a newsflash, huh? And you can't even call me by my name because it's too intimate or some bullshit like that? How do you think that makes ME feel? It sure doesn't spell 'ready to commit'. And nei- oh God..." Teddy's eyes widened in panic and she slapped her hand over her mouth while she fled the kitchen.

Daryl stood there pale and blinking until the sound of her retching made him come out of his shock. He sprinted to the bathroom and kneeled behind her, carefully gathering her long hair in his hands and holding it away from her face while she threw up.

"What's happening?" he sounded like a little boy when he asked the question, he was so utterly confused by everything and now he was worried about her and didn't know what to do.

"It's a side effect from the pill. They make you feel like crap for a day or two. I won't go to work tomorrow, already told my dad." she gasped before she threw up again. Daryl winced and rubbed her back gently, trying to comfort her.

"Shit. So ya told the truth? This ain't an abortion?"

"You thought I lied about something like that? Geez, Daryl. You really have a way of making me feel special today. You don't trust me at all, do you? When I got fired, I told you that you were the best thing you ever happened to me, but you don't believe it, do you? Fuck, is she right? I don't give back enough? Am I treating you badly?" She barely got the words out between gasps and just when she was done talking she heaved once more. Feeling like she was done, she flipped down the lid and rested her forehead on top of it.

"Ya used ta treat me fine, but this? Can't help but feel like what ya did was real shitty of ya."

"It isn't a big deal. I'm sorry, but it's not. Guess we just disagree on that one."

"Ya could have waited. It said ya could wait up to three days, but ya couldn't wait ta swallow that sucker. Could'a talked ta me first. Ya told yer Daddy, but ya didn't tell me... I am the one ya should've told. Jus' don't feel nice, is all."

"You're right. You have a point. I could have waited another couple of hours. I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to get it over with."

"Come on, let's get you up and into bed." Daryl put his hands underneath her armpits and helped her up and guided her to the sink where she brushed her teeth to get rid of the horrible taste of vomit. Daryl stayed with her and steadied her, she was pretty wobbly and nauseous. After that he led her to the bedroom and helped her undress and put on her favorite Pj's. When she was under the covers he undressed himself and slipped in next to her and pulled her into his arms. They didn't talk for a long while and even though they were both very tired, they didn't fall asleep. Their heads were too full.

"What happened to your son?" Daryl had wanted to ask for a while, but he had never felt like it had been the right time until now.

"SIDS." Teddy replied quietly.

"What's that mean?"

"Sudden Infant Death Syndrome."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. He was healthy, everything was okay or so it seemed. He was such a good little boy. Only woke up once at night, wanting to get fed. More like morning. Every morning around five he would wake up. Sometimes the baby monitor would wake me up, but most of the time I'd wake up a couple of seconds before the baby monitor told me that he was up, that's how regular he was. One morning, when he was 8 weeks old I woke up and when I looked at the time, it was already around 6 am. Something just didn't feel right, so I got up and went to his room to check on him. As soon as I set foot in his room I knew. It was like the atmosphere was charged with it,... I walked to his crib, everything looked normal. He looked like he was sleeping. He WAS sleeping, but I knew he'd never wake up again. I picked him up and held him for an hour, said goodbye before I called it in. Coroner came, cops came and asked all those questions. I felt like a criminal."

"Cops? Why did they show up?"

"It was an unexplained death. They have to investigate and the coroner has to determine the cause of death, whether it was of natural causes or if I had abused and killed him."

Daryl's heart tightened in his chest. He couldn't even imagine what that had to feel like. Losing your child and being investigated for it right after.

"He did an autopsy and it was ruled to be SIDS and the investigation was stopped."

"What happened? How did he die?"

"I don't know, Daryl. It's what SIDS does. There is no real determinable cause of death. They just stop living. Nobody can explain it and it's not for lack of trying. He just left. He just got taken from me without warning." Silent tears were streaming down Teddy's face as she was taken back to that horrible night and Daryl had a hard time to keep his emotions at bay as well, his heart mostly hurting for Teddy. "The only comfort is, that those babies never show any signs of suffering. They just fall asleep and don't wake up again."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Nobody could have prevented it from happening. Took me long years to accept that."

"You ever wanna try having another one?"

"I don't know. I really don't. I'm not sure if I would be able to handle it emotionally to have another one. The constant fear I'd be living with of having it happen again..."

"That's why ya didn't wait ta swallow that pill." Daryl stated.

"I didn't even think about it like that, but you might be right. I should have waited. Should have told you what was going on. It was just a really fucked up and stressful day." Teddy sighed, followed by a big yawn, her fatigue finally overpowering her head.

"It was. Jus' promise me that next time something like this happens, you'll talk to me before ya do something about it. I just wanna know. I wouldn't have gone off the deep end if ya would've talked ta me and explained it instead of me finding the box and jumping ta conclusions."

"Same goes for you, baby. Don't lay awake all night wondering about things. Ask if you're unsure about something."

"Yeah. Looks like we ain't got all of it figured out yet, huh?" he smiled a little and kissed her forehead gently.

"No, not by a long shot. But that's alright, we've got plenty of time."

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	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers. I joined the trend of making a tumblr for this story. You can go there and check it out to get visuals of Teddy, her family, etc and probably some sneak peeks at upcoming chapters in the future. Please be warned, that there are also graphic smutty pictures and animations, so it is +18 and NSFW. If you want to have some fun and interact, please don't hesitate to use the "Ask Daryl, Teddy & Co." section. You can ask the characters questions or leave them your opinion on things, whatever you feel like. So stop by and hang out a while. You can find it at:
> 
> inthelittletownofjasper.tumblr.com

Chapter 15

Her mother had apologized a couple of days after family dinner night and Teddy had forgiven her, but no matter how much Teddy tried to forget about it, her mother's words had gotten to her. Daryl didn't love her back, not yet anyway, and it was her own fault. You get back what you put in and apparently Teddy hadn't put in a lot, except for sexual favors. She wanted to win Daryl over once and for all, she wanted that man all to herself and she would try hard to give him what he needed, which was why she tried her hand at cooking again. Just steak and potato wedges, nothing major to fuck up there. At least that's what she hoped.

Daryl came home from running some errands after work and frowned when he saw her putting the frying pan on top of the stove.

"What are ya doin?"

"Making you dinner." Teddy replied and turned on the gas, not seeing Daryl's eyes widen.

"What? Why? I didn't do nothin'! Right?"

"No, you didn't." Teddy looked over her shoulder and laughed at his pale face. "Oh come on, it's not THAT bad. Relax. I have a back-up just in case."

"Why are ya tryin' this again? Thought we agreed that I'll do all the cookin'?" Daryl asked and stepped up behind her and kissed her neck gently.

Teddy shrugged, a little ashamed to admit that her mother had gotten to her. "My mom,... what she said. I'm not giving you enough."

"C'mon, ya know that ain't true. Ya do more than enough." his arms slipped around her midsection, pulling her back against him.

"I don't feel like I do. You do a ton and all I do is come home from work and have sex with you. And you really have lost weight."

"Yeah, so have you, 'cause we fuck all the damn time. Man, yer Momma really got a talent here. She really knows how ta get ta people. We all gotta stop listening ta her. You and Billy were right, she likes stirring this shit up. Can't let her do that, alright? So forget what she said, yer takin' care'a all ma needs, girl. Happiest man on the planet, got it?" Daryl told her sternly and tightened his arms around her to shake her a little on the 'got it'-part.

"You're sweet. No wonder everybody loves you." she smiled and gave his arms a short squeeze before she reached out towards the spice rack to grab the garlic powder. Daryl's big hand clamped down on her wrist before she got to it, though.

"Woah, what are ya doin'?"

"Getting the garlic powder, spice up the steak a little."

"Step away from the spice rack, woman! It ain't yer friend." Daryl walked backwards and took a laughing Teddy with him.

"Daryl! You're silly. Let me go, I wanna do this." She freed herself from his grasp and walked back to the stove to watch over the steak.

"Fine, but no garlic powder or nothin' else for that matter. Just leave it as it is." Daryl told her and leaned back against the counter next to the stove to watch her. "This ain't gonna be a regular thing, right?"

"I don't know... depends on how good it turns out I guess."

"Look, I appreciate ya tryin', but let me do it. It's the only thing I can do for ya that ya can't do for yerself. I'll never be able ta provide fer ya, not really, so let me do this at least. 'Kay?" he looked cool as a cucumber while he said it, but when Teddy looked him in the eyes she saw that he was actually pleading with her. She was surprised, she thought they had left the whole income thing behind them, but apparently it was still something that bothered him.

"Oh, okay. Fine. Here, take over then." She stepped away from the stove and switched places with him. "Guess that means I am not allowed to cook dinner for your birthday either, hm?"

"Not unless yer fixin' ta give me food poisoning." Daryl smirked, but the joke didn't amuse Teddy very much. Because she had taken the morning after-pills, everything in her female system seemed to be in a bit of an uproar and she was sensitive and more emotional than usual. Daryl noticed her blank expression and nudged her with his elbow.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said quietly and let her reply be accompanied by a shrug. "What do you wanna do for your birthday, then?"

"Never celebrated ma birthday. Ain't gon' do nothin'. Day like any other. Don't want no party and I mean it, darlin'. Don't go 'round planning shit." he warned her off. He didn't want some kind of party, much less a surprise party or whatever she might come up with. He just wanted a quiet dinner with her and maybe a nice little birthday fuck, but that was it. It worried him that she had been on her phone suspiciously much in the past couple of days.

"Okay. My parents will want to celebrate with you though. Nothing big, just dinner." She quickly added when she saw his eyes widen.

"Ya told 'em?"

"Sorry, didn't know it was supposed to be a secret. Don't get mad, it's just dinner like every Wednesday, only this time Rosario will make all your favorites and everybody will keep the peace because it will be your birthday and there's no fighting on birthdays. Please? My mom and Rosario are already excited as hell." Teddy grinned a little when she saw the corners of his mouth turn up, which he tried to hide with a scoff.

"Why the fuck are they excited? Ain't nothing special."

"See that's where you are wrong, baby. They love you and they wanna make that day special for you. You deserve it. You're gonna get pampered that day."

"Shit. It's gon' be awkward as hell. Don't know how to deal with that stuff." he muttered, but excitement started to bubble up inside of him. Nobody had ever given a shit about his birthday before and this year he didn't only have Teddy, he also had kind of an extended family who wanted to spend the day with him and make it a nice thing. It made him hell'a nervous. He'd never been the center of attention before, he didn't even have the slightest clue what that would be like.

"It's going to be fine. Just enjoy it. Try at least and if you get too uncomfortable we can always leave, you know that, right? Nobody is gonna force you to endure something you don't wanna do. We all know you're not big on socializing, it's okay." Teddy smiled and kissed him lovingly before she started to set the table.

"Alright." he nodded, but wanted to make sure that she knew he meant business. "But I'm fucking serious. No party."

"I promise. I swear on my shoes, my pretty dresses and everything else I consider to be holy, there will be no party. Cross my heart. That enough reassurance?"

"Smartass." he smacked her ass with the spatula in his hand, chuckling when she yelped and put her hands on her butt.

"Oooow! Fuck Daryl, that really hurt!" Daryl was about to make a smartass remark himself, but when he noticed her expression he realized that she wasn't playing. It made him frown in confusion, because she usually wasn't like this.

"You okay, darlin'? You're a little off today."

"I know, hormones I guess. "

"Ya sure that ya ain't knocked up?" he looked at her curiously. Maybe the pills hadn't worked?

"Yeah very sure. The morning after pills messed with my shit down there and everything's a little out of whack."

"Hm,... ain't been like this before when it was yer time'a the month. Ya take a test?"

Teddy took a deep breath so she wouldn't flip out. Him questioning her repeatedly was exasperating her. At the same time she hated herself for reacting that way, her hormones really were doing a number on her today. She put her hands on his face, making him look into her eyes. "Baby, I am only gonna say this once. I am not pregnant. The pills messed me up a bit. I admit I'm a bit moody, but that's it. Just a couple of days and everything goes back to normal, right in time for your birthday. Got it?"

Daryl nodded, fighting a smirk while he put the steaks on the plates and put the frying pan in the sink. He couldn't help it, she was cute when she got a little angry and it made the smirk fight its way onto his lips. "Someone's a little sassy today."

"Someone's being a bit of a jerk today." Teddy grumbled, feeling like he was making fun of her. Daryl gaped at her, a surprised laugh escaping him at her reaction.

"Oh now yer in trouble, woman. Gonna spank that sass right outta ya." he grabbed her ass hard and pulled her roughly to him until she was pressed flush against his front.

"Sorry." Teddy sighed deeply and kissed him softly. "For calling you a jerk. You're not, I'm being a bitch. Stupid, stupid female stuff. Forgive me?"

"Yeah, it's all good. Really not feeling good, huh?"his hard grip loosened and he went over to rubbing his hand over her butt and up over her back comfortingly.

"No. Just wanna eat and then lay down on the couch or in bed, don't really care which one."

"Okay, come on then, foods getting cold." he kissed her cheek and pushed her towards the table so they could eat and she could lay down soon.

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About a week later things really were back to normal and Teddy was excited about Daryl's birthday. She was looking forward to his reaction when she gave him the present she had gotten for him, she hoped he would be happy with what she had picked out for him. A lot of organizing and planning had gone into getting everything ready and Gerald had taken care of a couple of Teddy's patients for her, so she had been able to take care of the last details the day before his birthday. The really awesome thing about his birthday was, that Daryl was born on the 4th of July, which meant the auto repair shop he worked at was closed and Daryl had the day off. Gerald also kept the practice closed that day and he'd assigned himself to be call, although it would have been Teddy's turn to be on call, so she could spend the day with Daryl.

Teddy had enlisted the help of her whole family, including Rosario, to make sure Daryl would have the best day ever. The hardest part about it would be getting out of bed and out of the apartment unnoticed. Daryl's senses were hyper-sensitive through all the years he'd spent hunting out in the woods and he was a pretty light sleeper. Teddy had resorted to making him drink with her a little at night, hoping that the alcohol would help him fall into a deeper sleep. When her phone vibrated underneath her pillow at six in the morning on his birthday, she quickly turned the alarm off and looked down at his head on her chest. It wouldn't be an easy feat to get out from under him without waking him up. She started to squirm a little, trying to get him to turn, but he only burrowed his head into her chest deeper and tightened his grip on her. She wriggled some more, but it was to no avail. She would have to go the riskier route.

"Daryl... roll over, I have to use the bathroom, honey." she whispered while she slid down a little. Daryl's head lifted and he grunted his consent without opening his eyes and just rolled over on his other side and fell right back asleep, even snoring lightly. The drinks the evening before were doing their job and Teddy had to keep herself from yelling 'yes!' triumphantly. Instead she quickly slipped out of bed and grabbed the sweatpants, matching hoodie and the pair of socks she had conveniently placed underneath the bed, because the door of her closet creaked a little and tip-toed into the living room to get dressed. Once that was accomplished she put on her sneakers, grabbed her keys and slipped out the front door as quietly as possible before she all but ran to her car. She really had to pee, but she didn't want to risk waking Daryl after all, so it would have to wait until she arrived at her parents' house.

She was there a couple of minutes later and raced to the bathroom to relieve herself. When she came into the kitchen she greeted her mother and Rosario who were putting food in Tupperware boxes for Teddy to take home to Daryl. It was his birthday, she didn't want to offer him toast and bacon, so Rosario had made buttermilk pancakes, pecan waffles and chocolate chip banana muffins and her mother had prepared fresh fruit, so all Teddy would have to do was put it all on the table, knowing that she would have her hands full and wouldn't have the opportunity to do it herself. When everything was packed and deposited in her large shopping basket Teddy got back in her car and drove to the bakery to pick up Daryl's birthday cake and after that she drove to Billy's to pick up her present for Daryl, then she drove back to her apartment, hoping that he was still fast asleep. She carried everything upstairs and then slowly and carefully entered the apartment, listening for any sounds, but everything was still quiet. She took the food and the present to the kitchen and closed the door and set the table as quickly as possible without making too much noise. She took the food out of the tupperware boxes and arranged it on plates and put it on the table with his birthday cake being the centerpiece. She stepped back to look at everything and giggled when she heard the low whine and felt her leg getting nudged. She bent down and picked up the newest member of the family and screwed her eyes shut with a giggle when the puppy licked her face.

"Yeah, I know. I'm excited, too, sweetie." She cuddled the 4 month old Great Dane puppy to her chest with some difficulty. They weren't called Great Dane for nothing. The puppy already weighed more than 50 pounds and was about 25 inches tall. "Uff, you're heavy. What do you say? Wanna say hi to Daddy? Yes, let's go, come on." She set the dog down and led the way into the bedroom, coaxing the puppy to follow her when something caught its interest and it got distracted.

Teddy's heart beat rapidly in her chest when she neared the bed. She couldn't wait to see his reaction, she really hoped he would be excited. Teddy motioned for the dog to jump on the her side of the bed, so she wouldn't jump directly on Daryl and to her delight the puppy immediately went to check out Daryl, who started to rouse when the bed shifted. The dog sniffed his face and started licking his cheek, making Daryl frown with closed eyes, his voice hoarse and thick with sleep.

"Damn, girl... why's yer nose so damn cold? Slow down..." Teddy burst into a fit of giggles and carefully pulled the dog away from Daryl's face a little. She kissed him gently on the lips and rubbed her thumb over his cheekbone.

"Happy Birthday, honey. Time to wake up and say hi to your present."

Daryl slowly blinked his eyes open, rubbing them and then blinking again, trying to get them to focus and once he realized what he was looking at, his eyes widened.

"That a dog?"

"Yep. This little lady is Roxie. She's a Great Dane and she is four months old and most importantly. She is all yours. Happy birthday, my love."

Daryl didn't know where to look first, at his smiling girlfriend or his dog. HIS dog. "No way!" he breathed, while he sat up. He was shocked. He carefully reached out and let Roxie sniff his hand. "She's mine? You're giving me a dog?"

"Yes. She's yours... ours, if you want her to be." Teddy smiled while she bit her lip nervously.

"No fucking way!" A huge smile started to light up Daryl's face, all the way up to his eyes. "I've always wanted a dog. Hey girl,... hi." Roxie let Daryl stroke her head and scratch behind her ear and she eagerly climbed across his lap, sniffing his face again. Teddy swore she heard an actual, honest to God giggle erupt from Daryl's mouth when Roxie started licking his face again. "Aw, c'mon girl, I appreciate it, but I prefer water and a washcloth." Daryl laughed and dodged her attempts of licking him again.

Teddy had tears in her eyes, because Daryl looked so happy and was smiling so damn big that her heart almost burst from being filled with too much joy. "You like her?"

"You kiddin'? I love her. She's perfect." Daryl grinned and proudly stroked his hands over her soft fur.

"I'm glad. Time to get used to another high-maintenance girl in your life." Teddy giggled and when Daryl looked at her a little confused she elaborated. "She needs special food, because Great Danes grow so rapidly and she needs special beds so her bones don't hurt when she gets bigger and she needs to go to doggie school, because a dog that big needs to be well-behaved and listen to its owner."

Daryl's smile fell and he looked at Roxie deep in thought for a moment. "How am I gonna pay for all that?"

"It's all taken care of, baby. My parents bought like 10 of those beds for her, so she can stay comfortably at everybody's place. Here, Billy's, their house... we also bought a ton of food for her already and the school's been taken care of as well. I called around and I found her in a shelter in Atlanta. She and her mom and brothers and sisters were found on the side of the road when they were just a couple of days old. Maggie and her dad Hershel picked her up from the shelter two days ago. He's a vet, so he checked her over and made sure she had all her shots and everything. He'll also treat her in the future. Family discount, we'll only have to pay for meds if she needs them. Billy and I also talked to your boss, you can bring her to work as long as she is being a good dog and doesn't get in the way. It's really all taken care of, all you need to do for your little girl here is love her and spoil her rotten." Teddy beamed, proud that she had been able to pull it all off without him suspecting anything.

"Girl,..." Daryl was speechless. "How,... I-I can't ever repay y'all for this."

"Repay us? Daryl, it's your gift from us. You don't have to repay us for anything. We all wanted to give this to you for your birthday."

"But I can't give you anything like this when it's your birthday..." he stuttered. Teddy sighed and then kissed him hard and long until Roxie nudged them apart.

"Daryl, this isn't about money. We've talked about this. I wouldn't even care if you wouldn't give me anything at all for my birthday, because I already have what I want the most: You."

Daryl sucked his breath in sharply at hearing her words. Tears were stinging his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. He didn't know what to say, so he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her to him for another kiss, pouring everything he had into it and it had Teddy practically melting in his hands. Roxie soon started whining and nudging her nose against their faces again until they broke the kiss. "Hey girl, calm down, no need ta get jealous, ya hear?" Daryl smiled and pressed a kiss against Roxie's head and Teddy scoffed jokingly.

"Daddy's girl already. That's gonna be fun for mommy." Teddy kissed them both before she climbed off the bed and clapped her hands. "Now come on you two, surprise breakfast is waiting."

"Don't think ya can call it surprise breakfast when ya announce that there's gon' be a surprise breakfast." Daryl chuckled while he and Roxie got out of bed.

"Maybe, but I didn't say what we'll be having for breakfast, so it is a surprise after all!" Teddy argued happily. "Now get your ass in the bathroom and get ready, I'll make the coffee."

"Yes ma'am." Daryl mock-saluted before he grabbed some sweatpants and a t-shirt and did what he was told.

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Daryl had never ever been this happy his entire life. Everybody had bent over backwards to make this day special for him. It was new and a little overwhelming, but absolutely awesome and mind-blowing. He couldn't believe that Rosario and Bernadette had gotten up earlier to make him his favorite breakfast items and that Teddy had gotten a cake for him. By 10 am that morning he was already so stuffed that he, Teddy and Roxie took a long, long walk to burn some calories and get some fresh air. He was happier than a kid on Christmas morning when he held Roxie's leash in one hand and Teddy's hand in the other, proudly showing off the beautiful ladies in his life. Teddy told him that Hershel had said that it was extremely important for a dog like Roxie to be well socialized with people and other animals, because if dogs that size weren't socialized well enough and they start feeling stressed out in the company of people or other animals, they might start biting and that can be very dangerous and even deadly in some cases. It was the reason why they would also get a cat within the next week or two. Daryl had just laughed a little and teased Teddy about making up excuses to get herself a cat, too, but of course he knew that she was being serious. He was kind of looking forward to having a full house, so to speak.

Later when they went over to Teddy's parents to have dinner with them and Billy and Maggie, Daryl was once again sheer overwhelmed by the outpouring of love. Bernadette hugged the hell out of him until Gerald jokingly cleared his throat and telling her that that hug had lasted long enough. Although Daryl was a little embarrassed, he had chuckled along with everybody else. Rosario kept it professional and didn't hug him, but she was furiously enthusiastic when she shook his hand over and over and wished him a happy birthday. When they had dinner and Daryl looked around the table at all the people who were happy to spend time with him on his birthday, how they shared stories and laughed and all cuddled and played with Roxie happily, he felt like rushing to the bathroom to lock himself in and have a good cry, because he was so damn happy. Nobody had ever given a shit about his birthday and without Teddy and her family it just would have been another step closer to 40, but what they had done for him was incredible. They hadn't just given him stuff for Roxie, he also got a ton of chocolate, some band t-shirts and a couple of dvds. It had been perfect. After dinner they had a huge firework in the garden and Daryl and Billy were like kids in a candy store when they launched rocket after rocket and Teddy and Maggie just loved watching them be like little boys again. When they had launched their last rocket they stayed in the backyard and watched the sky and the fireworks all the neighbors were shooting into the sky. Daryl had his arms wrapped tightly around Teddy's shoulders from behind. Everybody was looking at the sky, so nobody noticed the little tear that finally escaped Daryl's eye, no longer able to hold it in. He quickly wiped it away and bit his tongue hard to keep himself from full-on crying. He was more emotional than he'd like to admit. He was truly happy, but with it came the fear of fucking it all up and losing it again. His grip on Teddy tightened and he pulled her back into him even more, like he was trying to melt them together. He was now even more scared than before of ever losing her and the depth and intensity of that fear scared him more than just a little.

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"Yer mine." he growled later, in the middle of the night, when he pushed himself into her slowly and deeply, over and over again. "Say it. Tell me that yer mine." he urged her, squeezing her hands that were intertwined with his and rested next to her head.

"I'm yours." Teddy gasped, the air rushing from her longs when he delivered a particularly deep thrust.

"Again. Say ma name. I need ta hear ya say it again, darlin'. Need ta know that ya mean me, when ya say it."

"I'm yours, Daryl. Awww FUCK!" she moaned loudly when he hit her cervix with another deep thrust.

"Yeah, that's it, darlin'. I'm the only one who can make ya enjoy that. Only me. Ain't ever gon' be nobody else for ya, right?"

"Never. Only you, baby." she breathed while she rolled her hips up to meet his thrusts, not being able to get enough of him, even though he was already as deep inside of her as he can go. "You're all I want. All I need."

"Good." he murmured into her ear and started to shift his legs until he had found the right position. He pushed himself inside of her balls-deep one last time and stayed there, pressing the tip of his cock firmly against her cervix. He loosened his hold on her right hand, only to grab her wrist and guide her hand between their bodies to rest on her heated core, right above where they were joined.

"Touch yerself." he purred in a deep voice. "Good. Now be a good girl and squeeze 'em muscles for me." Teddy obeyed without hesitation and let her muscles contract around his engorged and rock-hard cock while she rubbed her clit with two fingers.

"Shit yeah." Daryl hissed and started moving again, but this time he barely moved out of her at all, he stayed buried to the hilt inside of her and just kept bumping the tip against the end of her, while her muscles milked him rhythmically. "Fuck girl,... gonna make ya cum so hard." Daryl picked up some speed and unknowingly distracted Teddy for a moment, because he started to moan and groan up a storm. He was always vocal, but tonight he was really letting go and it was sexy as hell.

He clutched her hand and her hip, his eyes were screwed shut tightly while his breathing turned erratic. "Fuck yeah, gon' make me cum, shit girl that's it, don't stop, harder, squeeze that sweet lil' pussy harder, damn yer so fucking wet, yes yes yeeeeessss." the words just kept flowing out of him in breathless gasps and they caused Teddy to rub herself furiously, desperately wanting to cum right with him. Daryl ground his hips into her in earnest, humping her like an animal, just as desperate for release as she was.

"Awww shit yes... yes girl... yes... gonna cum hard,... fuck... oohh... ooooohh FUCK TEDDY!"

Teddy's eyes shot open in surprise. He'd said her name, no way she would have missed that. It helped triggered her own release, which almost paled in comparison to Daryl's violent orgasm. She had never seen or felt him come apart like that. He was shaking like a leaf and breathing harshly when he collapsed on top of her, completely drained, both physically and emotionally. Teddy wrapped one arm around him and buried her other hand in his hair at the back of his neck, massaging his scalp soothingly while he came down from he caught his breath and calmed down.

When they both were able to breathe normally again their mouths pressed together and their tongues tangled in a passionate and deep kiss while they held each other as tightly as they could.

"I love you, Daryl." Teddy said softly against his lips. Her words were met with silence, and although she felt a little twinge of disappointment, she was okay with that. Baby steps. He was getting there.

Daryl kissed her one last time, before he scooted to the edge of the bed and slipped on his boxers. He opened the bedroom door in case Roxie wanted to join them in there and then immediately dropped back down on the bed and slipped underneath the covers on his back. Teddy kissed his lips gently before she rolled over on her other side, assuming her usual position while Daryl's hand found it's place on her butt.

"Good night, my love." she whispered sleepily and closed her eyes.

"Good night." Daryl muttered and gently squeezed the soft flesh underneath his hand while he stared at the ceiling. He was tired, but too much had happened and his mind needed some more time to process before it would let him fall into a blissful sleep.

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	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I consider the following chapter to be more of a filler chapter. I am setting some things up for the future, don't worry too much about our favorite couple ;-)
> 
> Check out the tumblr for this story for visuals and sneak peeks. It's at inthelittletownofjasper.tumblr.com  
> Be warned, though, it's +18 and NSFW.
> 
> I am using one of my favorite lines from a recent episode of the show in this chapter. I should probably mention that I don't own anything except for the Robertsons.

"Is it true that the lady doctor has Mr. Dixon for a boyfriend and that he is a hilly billy from the back of the woods and that's why I can't go see her anymore?"

Gerald Robertson's eyes snapped up to look at 6 year old Molly Henderson in surprise, his eyebrows were almost all the way up by his hairline when his gaze turned towards Molly's mother Hannah, who turned a deep shade of red at her daughter's question.

"A hilly billy from the back of the woods you say?" he asked Molly, while he fixed Hannah with a bit of a hard stare for a moment.

"Yes, momma said he's mean and that he is a hood lump."

"A hood lump? Are you sure that she didn't say hoodlum?" Gerald asked the girl and forced a little smile for the sake of the child.

"Yeah, that's it." Molly smiled triumphantly, while Hannah squirmed uncomfortably in the corner next to table.

"Molly, I said no such thing." she said and Gerald had to keep from scoffing at her blatant lie.

"Yes, you told Daddy when he asked you which doctor would look at my foot."

"It is not polite to eavesdrop, Molly. We will talk about that later." Hannah admonished her daughter and didn't dare look at Gerald. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

"You know, Molly, the lady doctor is my daughter."

"She is?" Molly seemed excited by the news. "And you know her boyfriend? Is he mean? Because he looks mean."

"Yes she is and I know her boyfriend, Mr. Dixon. I know people say that he is mean and you are right, he does LOOK a little mean, but I can assure you, that Mr. Dixon is a very nice man. He's got a dog now, you know? Her name is Roxie and she is going to be a really really big dog. Big enough for you to ride on one day. So when you see Mr. Dixon and Roxie on the street, you don't have to be scared. They are not mean, they are in fact two of the most gentle souls you will ever find in all of Jasper." Gerald smiled at the little girl, but that smile vanished quickly when Hanna scoffed.

"You're wife sang a different tune not too long ago."

"My wife and I made a mistake, but we realized the error of our ways with a little help from our children and were smart enough to overcome our prejudices and foolishness and our family life is now better for having Daryl Dixon in it. He is a fine young man, who is nothing like his reputation or the rest of his family. He's been treated unfairly all these years and I wish I would have been a better person and would have given him a chance instead of judging him as just another one of the Dixons. At least I raised two people who were smart enough to look behind the curtain and get to know that man with an open mind. I hope you will be able to do the same for your daughter. Also, Molly would be in better hands if you would let her be treated by my daughter. She specialized in pediatrics and I will consult with her anyway, so you either have to go to the clinic from now on or you let her treat your daughter."

"That sounds an awful lot like an ultimatum, Dr. Robertson." Hannah spat with narrowed eyes.

"It is not an ultimatum, it is just a choice you will have to make."

"I guess we will be taking our chances at the clinic then. Come on, Molly. Let's go. These people can't do anything for you here." Hannah grabbed her daughter's hand and dragged the confused girl off the exam table.

"Good luck to you." Gerald sighed and jumped a little when Hannah slammed the door a little too hard on her way out. Two more patients lost and Gerald knew it was his own fault. His and Bernadette's. She hadn't kept her mouth shut when Teddy and Daryl had started dating, badmouthing both Daryl AND Teddy around town. It had been a horrible thing to do and Gerald had been against it, but unfortunately it was Bernadette who was wearing the pants in the Robertson household and once she started, she could not be stopped. If they continued losing patients they might find themselves in trouble soon. Gerald not as much as Teddy. He was 62, if he would have to close down the practice due to lack of patients, he would just retire, but Teddy would be out of a job and would very probably have a hard time finding another one around this area. It happened more often now that they were closing early in the afternoon, but so far neither Teddy nor Gerald had uttered a word to each other about it. There was no need, they both knew what would happen if it would get even worse.

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Teddy was doing laundry in the laundry room in the basement of the apartment building while Daryl was in the kitchen making them dinner. It was business as usual,until she emptied out Daryl's pants pockets. Between dollar bills, quarters and dog treats there was a folded up pink piece of paper. It looked harmless enough, but Teddy subconsciously knew that it would be anything but. Her fingers were trembling when she took the piece of paper and unfolded it, her blood freezing in her veins when she read what was written on it. "Sandra 692-1545" and in the right corner above the name was a little heart. Teddy felt like the room was spinning. Jealously rushed through her with a vengeance. Her mother hadn't been lying when she had told Daryl that Teddy was a jealous one. It was pretty much her biggest flaw. It hadn't always been this bad, but she had been cheated on twice. Once in her teenage years by her very first boyfriend and another time shortly before she'd gotten pregnant with Milo. It had been the reason why she had gone to that party and had gotten trashed in the first place. She'd hooked up with a guy, she could barely remember his face, she didn't even know his name, she hadn't cared, she had just needed to get fucked. 6 weeks later she'd discovered that the guy had knocked her up. Not the best of circumstances, but she had still been excited and had kept the baby. So as much as she believed that Daryl would never cheat on her, this was something her brain just wasn't able to ignore. All the bad memories were rushing through her mind, all the hurt, the feeling of being worthless and replaceable, she felt like she couldn't breathe right, her chest got so tight from panic.

She forced herself to take several deep breaths and put the note on the shelf next to the detergent while she kept putting their dirty clothes in the washing machine. She almost dropped the opened bottle of detergent into the machine because her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Even more deep breaths followed while she finished up the task at hand, then she went back up to her apartment and stopped in the kitchen door, watching the love of her life fixing them dinner. It's been another week and he still wouldn't tell her how he felt about her. She usually wasn't hellbent on having guys tell her their feelings, but in this situation, him being mum about that very thing rang an alarm bell in her head.

'Maybe this is the reason why. He found a better one.' An evil voice in the back of her mind told her, making the jealousy increase ten-fold.

Daryl knew that Teddy was watching him. First off she wasn't very quiet when she moved around and also Roxie had run towards her to get some lovin' since her Daddy was busy cooking.

"Wanna take a picture?" he smirked without turning around.

"No thanks." Teddy's voice made Daryl frown. She sounded weird. He turned around and looked at her questioningly.

"What's wrong?" She was pale and he couldn't read the expression her eyes held. She seemed sad somehow.

"You forgot to take this out of your pocket." Teddy put the pink paper on the kitchen counter and Daryl immediately figured out what was going on. Of course that had to look weird to her.

"Yeah, ya can just throw that in the trash."

"Why? Already programed it into your phone?" Teddy tried not to sound accusatory, but she knew she wasn't really succeeding.

"Pfff, why would I?"

"Then why didn't YOU just throw it in the trash?"

"Forgot it was in there." Daryl got nervous, but not because he felt like he had done something wrong, but because Teddy's eyes were a little unsettling.

"Who is she anyway?"

"New girl at work." Daryl explained, wincing a little when she saw her eyes widen. Maybe he shouldn't have taken Billy's advice about keeping her in the dark about the fact that the new guy at work was actually a girl.

"New GIRL at work? You said it was a guy! Since when are women mechanics?" Teddy looked at him incredulously.

"It's a new world or shit like that. Look, I didn't want ya ta get upset. Yer brother said it would be better that way. That ya get jealous and shit." Daryl said defensively, internally cursing Billy, and himself for listening to Billy in the first place.

"You know what makes me get jealous? This shit! That you kept the number." she pointed to the note on the counter. "And lying about the guy being a girl is only making it worse."

"I told you, I forgot it was in there."

"Why'd you even put it there in the first place? Why not throw it out right away? You like her back or something? Because she is clearly into you judging from the fucking heart and everything."

"Man, I'm too tired for this shit." Daryl groaned while he pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "You're outta yer damn mind if ya think I'd step out on ya."

"That's exactly what the last guy who cheated on me said." Teddy uttered, her voice breaking when tears threatened to spill over and run down her cheeks.

Daryl scoffed and shook his head. "Guess that means, that no matter what I say, ya ain't gon' believe me anyway. Ya either trust me or ya don't, woman. Make up yer mind. Jus' cause that girl is sweet on me it don't mean that I'd get maself a piece of that tail. I ain't ma brother and you should know that by now. We gonna eat now or what?"

"That's it?" Teddy couldn't believe that he was done talking about it and would just go over to having dinner like that.

"Yeah, that's it. Ain't nothing more to it. Like I said, ya either trust me or ya don't. Let me know which one it is when ya made yer decision. Now sit yer ass down and eat." He said when he slammed their plates on the table with enough force to make some of the food fall off the plates and onto the table.

"I'm not hungry." Teddy mumbled softly, staring at a spot on the floor while she fumbled with her necklace.

"Fine." Daryl spat almost viciously. He grabbed her plate and threw it in the trash, literally he whole plate, and from the sound of it he had used enough force to make it shatter inside the trash can. Teddy jumped, her eyes snapping up, looking at him with a mixture of anger and confusion.

"Why the hell are YOU mad?"

"Ya kiddin' me? Are ya fucking kiddin' me? Why am I mad? Oh let's see. I never made or received no suspicious phone calls. Never been home late from work. Never had no dates or nothing with nobody else, I spend every fucking minute I ain't working with ya and still ya don't trust me and think I'm fucking around on you?" he was yelling loudly, taking his anger out on her with all he had.

He had a point. He was always with her when he wasn't at work and he was seriously not the kind of guy who would bang someone at work. He would be way too nervous of somebody walking in on them. She felt horrible for thinking even for a second that he'd cheated.

"Shit." she sighed after burying her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. It hap-"

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Daryl scoffed, not letting her finish. It pissed him off to no end that she of all people would think he'd be like Merle and fuck everything in sight as soon as they sent a smile his way. "Jus' like yer damn momma. Makin' a big fucking drama out of nothing."

"Hey, I said I was sorry, no need to get mean, okay?"

"Yeah, 'cause you're being so fucking nice right now. So what now? Gonna follow me ta work? Gonna check ma phone? Look at ma phone bill? That's what y'all do, right? Trust but verify. Here, lemme help ya out, so you don't have ta waste time snoopin' through ma stuff!" He shoved his hand into his right pant pocket and dug out his phone, throwing it at an unsuspecting Teddy, causing the phone to hit her chest before it fell to the floor. After the loud clanging noise of the phone hitting the floor had resounded through the kitchen an eerie silence followed. Daryl took a deep breath, the red-hot rage slowly draining out of his body. He rubbed his eyes and blinked, trying to clear his vision that seemed to have been consumed by his anger as well. He looked back at Teddy and felt a sharp stab going through his heart, because she looked like she was freaking terrified of him.

"Shit, Teddy..."

"What the hell was that?" She muttered under her breath. "Sure, I deserved some anger for even thinking you would do that to me, but this just got way out of control. What the fuck Daryl?"

"I dunno." Daryl rubbed his face in his hands, not even understanding himself what had happened or why he'd gotten THAT angry. "Can't stand that ya would think of me like that, I guess. Ain't nothin' going on with that girl. Never will neither. She's fucking annoying, but Mike wants me ta show her the ropes 'cause I've been there the longest. Slipped me her number a couple days ago, shoved it right in ma damn pocket. I told her off, forgot all about that stupid note after that. Fuck woman,... ya really think I'd go looking elsewhere fer a quick lay?"

"No." she admitted, her voice still shaky. "I had guys cheat on me twice. My mind just automatically went there when I saw that damn number. I know you're not that kind of guy, the rational part of my brain just got shut down for a minute there. I'm so scared of losing you, Daryl. It was like that stupid pink paper was mocking me, telling me that you found someone better."

"There ain't no one better. Told ya a million times that yer all I want and need, girl. Why can't ya fucking believe that for once?"

"I'm trying."

"That's just it. Just like when we started fucking. Ya ain't s'pposed ta try, yer s'pposed ta fucking trust me with shit. Let go and enjoy. We been together three months now. We're goddamn living together without even fucking talking about it once and it's fucking working, ain't it? It is. It works, because it's different from what we had before with other people. This is how it's s'pposed ta be. We'd be fucking crazy to turn our backs on this. Ain't nothing like this out there for us with anyone else. The two of us, that's how it's s'pposed ta be and it pisses me off that ya don't believe it."

"I don't believe it? I told you that I loved you how many times now?"

"That's it, ain't it? Jus' cause I haven't said it back ya think I ain't into this as much as you. Right?" Daryl knew he had hit the bulls-eye, when she shrugged and fumbled with the hem of her top nervously. "Lemme tell ya something then. Words don't mean a thing, darlin'. Everybody can say the words and fake it, makin' it look like they mean it. I ain't one for sayin' it."

"Fine. So what you're saying is that you're never gonna say it?"

"I'm saying: Pay attention. Signs are all there, ya just gotta know how ta read them. Ya best start figuring that out."

Teddy nodded mutely and Daryl turned toward the table and grabbed his plate and dumped the food in the trashcan, before he let the now empty plate fall into the sink with a loud clang. "I'm going to bed." he mumbled on his way out of the kitchen.

"It's not even seven."

"So what? Got a fucking headache." Those were his last words before Teddy heard the bathroom door shut. She didn't doubt that he had a headache, the whole thing had given her one as well. Even worse was the anxiousness she felt, because she had no idea where they stood now and if he was still mad at her or not. While Daryl laid down she started cleaning the kitchen and when she was done she went to her home office and went through the mail and paid her bills and surfed the internet for a while, only leaving her laptop for the 15 minutes it took her to get the laundry from the basement and hang it on the clothesline.

She didn't know what made her look up a couple hours later, but when she did, she jumped in shock, because Daryl stood in the dark doorway, only clad in his boxers, one shoulder leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his bare chest. She couldn't make out his face in the near dark, the only light in the room came from the screen of her laptop.

"Jesus Christ, baby. You startled me. How long have you been standing there?" Teddy gasped and reflexively put her hand on her chest right on top of her fast beating heart.

"A while. Comin' ta bed soon?" he asked quietly, the gruff edge gone from his voice.

"Do you even want me there after tonight? I can sleep on the couch. Done it before."

"Don't be ridiculous." Daryl uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the door-frame. He stretched his hand out towards her while he rounded her desk. "C'mon. It's getting late and ya look fucking exhausted." Also, he hadn't been able to sleep at all without her by his side. He'd missed her, even though they were in the same apartment. It had been a strange day and all he'd wanted ever since his lunch break was to be with her, being in each other's arms and forget about the rest of the world. Unfortunately Sandra and her stupid fucking note had ruined that. Not only did he have to deal with the obnoxious woman, who couldn't take a hint, at work every day, he would also have to deal with Merle being back on the streets soon. He'd gotten the call from his brother at work. He'd definitely get out sooner, all his lawyer would have to work out with the parole people was when. It wasn't what Daryl would call "happy news". It would only make his life harder and Merle would probably do everything in his power to try and fuck up Daryl's new life. He was angry about it and he had taken it out on Teddy, when she had given him the opportunity with her jealousy and implied mistrust.

On some days Daryl felt like they'd been together forever, it made him forget that it hadn't been THAT long and that they hadn't worked out all the kinks yet. They still didn't know every tiny little detail about each other and they still surprised each other by getting to see new sides. Sides they didn't know how to handle yet and it sometimes resulted in a fight. Daryl hated fighting with her, but as weird as it sounded, he had come to appreciate the fights. He had learned that fighting didn't mean that the relationship was bad and automatically over, but that fighting could actually be healthy. They were a passionate couple, they had their disagreements, but at least they didn't keep their emotions and opinions bottled up, they let it out, they talked about it, got the issue out of the way and made up fairly quick. It was better than couples who kept everything in and acted like everything was fine, fooling themselves and grew to resent the other which drove a wedge between them and made them distance themselves from their partner.

Teddy put her hand in his and let him pull her out of her office chair. They both sighed a breath of relief when Teddy buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his wonderful, masculine scent, and kissing the soft skin underneath her lips. Daryl wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as hard as he could.

"I'm sorry 'bout earlier. I overreacted." Daryl mumbled against her hair.

"So did I. I'm sorry, too. I trust you. Got a little irrational back there."

"You and me both. Was the whole thing with Merle getting out, that already put me on edge and then you with that fucking note."

"Yeah, it was too much to handle at once, I get it." Teddy pressed another kiss to his neck before she looked up at him, a little whimper escaping her when he kissed her on the lips. Reconnecting always felt so damn good. "But honey, don't lie to me about girls at work, okay? Don't listen to Billy." Teddy was pretty sure that Billy had just been joking about not telling her and that Daryl might have misinterpreted it as serious advice. She would have to talk to her brother about that.

"It was stupid. Don't know what I was thinking. We should never ever listen to any of them ever again. Always gets us in trouble."

"Right, there's definitely a pattern there." She kissed him again and squeezed him with all her strength. "Don't stress out about your brother. We'll handle it. Whatever he'll try to throw at us, we'll deal."

"Yeah." Daryl nodded in agreement and silently prayed for all the strength in the world. Teddy hadn't met Merle, she had no idea what a force of destruction his older brother truly was. The thought of Merle messing with their relationship really freaked him out. And like that wasn't enough, now it seemed like other people had the potential to be a danger to their being together, too. It sucked. Maybe they should just pack up and move away one day. This town could be pretty poisonous.

Daryl disentangled from her embrace, took hold of her hand and pulled her to the bedroom. Roxie was curled up in her own bed, just looking up at them for a moment when they entered, before she went back to sleep. Teddy undressed and slipped underneath the covers, joining Daryl, who immediately spooned her from behind, wrapping his strong arm around her waist. This was new, they never went to sleep cuddled together like that, but after today Teddy happily accepted the change. Daryl nuzzled his nose into her hair, nudging it aside a little to be able to reach her neck with his lips. He pressed soft kisses to the curve of her neck and to her shoulder, while his hand slowly slid up and down over her belly. Teddy reached her hand behind her and between them, palming his flaccid member through the cotton fabric of his boxers, eliciting a little, quiet grunt from Daryl.

"We ain't gotta..." He sighed against her neck, but his hips were already moving, pushing his swelling cock harder against her hand.

"I want to. I need you." She slipped her hand inside his boxers and wrapped it around his growing erection. She loved feeling him grow and harden against her palm and Daryl knew he was a lucky son of a bitch, because she loved playing with him and often initiated some serious worshiping sessions. After a few strokes and practiced caresses of her thumb on his tip and frenulum he stood at full attention. She pushed her own underwear down while Daryl took care of his boxers, then he nudged one leg between hers, pushing them up a little towards her chest for better access. He grit his teeth when he pushed the bulbous head of his cock into her opening, having to use a bit more force than usual to get it in.

"Yer not ready, darlin'. Yer gon' be sore." he whispered breathlessly against her shoulder while he let his hand slide between her legs to help her along.

"You know that I don't give a fuck, I want this. I want to feel that you are mine every single time I sit down or walk around tomorrow."

Daryl groaned in response and bit her shoulder roughly. He pushed himself inside his girl hard and Teddy gladly welcomed the myriad of pin pricks that assaulted her with a blissful moan. It made the sweet torture of his fingers on her clit so much better. He kept the pace slow, it wasn't about getting off, but more about being as close as they could possibly be and giving each other strength and comfort through the physical connection. After his climax they stayed right the way they were and fell asleep with him still inside of her, not letting each other go for the whole night.

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The next morning they both felt much better. They woke up in a good mood and playful banter flowed back and forth between them while they got their Saturday morning breakfast ready. Daryl told Teddy about Sandra and how she kept clinging to him and couldn't take a hint even though everybody had told her that she should back off because he had a girlfriend.

"Does she try touching you during work?"

"Ya mean ma dick?"

"No, I don't mean your dick. Why? Oh my God, did she touch your dick?" Teddy's eyes grew wide, but Daryl only chuckled.

"Nah, course not. Just wanted ta know what ya meant by touching."

"I meant harmless touching. Like, does she touch your arm or your back repeatedly?"

"Yeah, it's fucking annoying. Keeps looking at me weird and keeps flirting and I swear, I ain't fucking encouraging her."

"I know, you're not that type of guy. You know, you should tell Mike, he can fire her for sexual harassment."

"I jus' said, she ain't touched ma dick."

"And she doesn't have to, baby. If she keeps coming on to you like that, even though she knows that you don't want it, then it is sexual harassment. You said it's annoying right? You don't feel comfortable working with her? Then she needs to go, Daryl. It's as simple as that. Don't look at me like that. Sexual harassment can also happen to guys. Women can be pretty hardcore in that department as well."

"It feels weird. Ain't never happen ta me before." Daryl frowned while he grabbed another piece of bacon and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Probably because you never had a woman for a colleague before. Trust me, baby, you ARE sex on fucking legs. If there would be more girls around you can be sure it might have happened more than this once. You had ME drooling pretty much from the first moment on and I'm not that easily impressed."

Daryl grinned and pulled her into his lap to kiss her hard. "I won't ever understand what ya saw in me that mornin', all I did was being a jerk, but hey, yer bad taste in guys is my fucking gain."

"I did have bad taste in guys, but you turned that around, baby. Just look at my family. Everybody loves you and that certainly never happened before."

"Nah, yer momma just loves ma guns." Daryl joked, making Teddy laugh and shudder at the same time.

"She sure loves those, but they seriously love all of you, just like I do, albeit in a very different way. Thank God, otherwise it would be quite disturbing." Teddy gave him a peck on the lips before she got off his lap and went to fix herself another coffee. "Hey, uhm, I was thinking,..."

"Bout what?" Daryl asked while he chewed on another piece of bacon.

"You were right about what you said last night."

"Which part? A lotta things were said last night." He looked at her back, while she was busy with the machine.

"You were right about the fact that we've been living together for pretty much the whole time we've been dating... You only go to your apartment to get your mail or your hunting gear before we go out to the woods. And it works, you were right about that, too. We never talked about it, it just happened naturally and it's going well, so I was wondering... Why don't you give up your apartment and move in here all the way?" Teddy didn't know why she was so nervous about asking him, but it somehow was a big thing to her. She had never lived with anybody else before and she felt like him moving in officially would make their relationship even more official.

"Makes sense. I thought about it, too, actually." Daryl admitted hesitantly. "But what about Merle? He'll need a place when he gets out."

"That's not your problem, Daryl. You need your paycheck for yourself, you can't keep paying for him forever. You have dreams and they will only come true if you finally start cutting him off. He needs to learn to get by on his own. Other inmates don't have the luxury of having a brother who pays for everything and they need to start fresh once they get out and work for what they want and need. It will be good for him to be on his own, take some responsibility. He'll figure it out. And even if he doesn't, that's still not your problem. You have a job and a home, you work hard for everything you have every day, you don't have to take care of him, he is old enough to do it all by himself. You're sweet for worrying, but don't enable him. It's not doing either of you any favors." Teddy looked at him imploringly, hoping to God that she was getting through to him. She wanted Daryl to have everything he ever wanted and someday he would be able to have it, but it would require him to let his brother pay for his own mistakes. Daryl had to show Merle that he would no longer let his older brother use him anymore.

"Pretty much got everything I need here already. Just the hunting gear, the knives, crossbow, guns is still there. Everything else can stay there for all I care. Ya sure ya want this stuff in yer apartment?"

"Yeah, we can put it in my office. You have some kind of rack for them, right?"

"I do. We could do it today. I'll give ma notice and then we take what's mine and put it in the truck, take it here. The rest we'll just dump in the trash. Ain't got much stuff anyway. We need ta go shopping later, so we can swing by the post office and I'll put in for a change of address. We can get it all done today, didn't have no plans anyway.

"Sounds perfect to me. Should I call Billy? Don't you need to clear out your furniture, too?"

"Yeah, that's right. Think he'll be up for it?"

"Yeah, why not. Maggie will help out, too. And I can call my mom and tell her to have Rosario prep some food and iced tea for us. It's fucking hot already and we don't need anyone collapsing from dehydration. We'll have Maggie and Billy over for dinner to say thanks tonight. We can order in, have a nice evening. What do you think?"

"Sounds good." Daryl smiled, happy with her plan. He had to admit that it was kind of awesome to finally have a family who did things like this and Billy was turning out to be the brother he never had. They were really getting closer. Still Daryl had decided that he should no longer take any "advice" from Billy where Teddy was concerned. It just never ended well. "Alright, let's do this, darlin'. Time for both of us to give up the bachelor's pad."

"Oh honey, I gave mine up months ago and it was the best decision of my life." Teddy beamed at him, while he stood up from his chair and walked over to where she was leaning against the kitchen counter. His strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and he kissed her gently. Something about the way he did it made heat pool low in her belly and her heart started beating faster when he looked into her eyes.

"I love..." he started and Teddy's breath hitched in her throat. "that ya think like that." he smirked when Teddy tried to shove him in exasperation, but he only held her tighter and and kissed her face all over.

"That was just plain evil, you jerk." Teddy complained, but it was in good humor. She had thought about what he had said, that the signs were there, she just had to figure out how to read them. All the little things he did for her came to mind, the way she caught him looking at her sometimes, the way he took care of her, it was all right there and it spoke louder than words, she had just been too caught up in her insecurities to pay attention. He loved her and he showed her every damn day.

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	17. Chapter 17

Billy and Maggie had helped them move Daryl out of his old apartment, but they had to decline the dinner invitation, because they had already been invited to dinner at the farm with Maggie's family. Daryl and Billy had carried down the heavy furniture, like the raggedy old couch and the couple of shelves he'd had, while the girls had put stuff that Daryl had wanted and needed to take in boxes and put them in the car. Bernadette had asked Daryl to bring his old furniture to her, because she could use it for her art projects, so he and Billy took it there and Teddy and Maggie took the boxes back to Teddy's apartment.

After a nice lunch that Rosario had made for them, Maggie and Billy had left and Teddy and Daryl had taken care of their grocery shopping and other errands. Last but not least was the trip to the post office, where Daryl put in for a change of address and without even really knowing why, they were both grinning like fools when they left the post office, their linked hands swinging back and forth between them on their way to his truck.

“Know where we're going now?” Teddy giggled happily, barely able to contain herself when she looked at a smiling Daryl.

“OUR apartment?” His smile grew even wider, baring his cute fangs. Teddy seriously had a thing for them and every time he smiled that big she wanted to cry and jump his bones at the same time. It filled her with so much joy to see him that happy and, of course, he was just so goddamn hot and adorable, that she had a hard time keeping her hands off of him.

“Exactly. Mmm, I love the sound of that!” They had just reached his truck when Teddy couldn't help herself and she wrapped her arms around Daryl and kissed him lovingly. She pulled her lips away from his soon, though, knowing that he wasn't comfortable with making out in public. “Sorry.” she grinned, rubbing the tip of her nose against his, while he wrapped his muscled arms around her upper back.

“'s okay. Yer gon' get punished for that later!” he whispered with a grin. He winked at her, but realized too late that she wouldn't be able to see it with him wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes from the glaring summer sun.

“Looking forward to it.” Teddy said in a low voice, teasingly letting her fingernails scrape down over his arms, leaving some light welts on his skin. They were totally caught up in each other and had forgotten everything around them, so they jumped apart when someone clearing their throat startled them out of their own little world.

“Unbelievable. Wants to be a respected town doctor, but is necking with that lowlife on the streets for everyone to watch her shameful behavior. No wonder her poor daddy will have to close the practice soon.” An elderly couple was strolling by and the woman mock-whispered to her husband while they shot Teddy and Daryl dirty looks. 

“Better watch where you're going, Mr. and Mrs. Coleman. We wouldn't want you to stumble and fall without a respected town doctor around to help you.” Teddy wasn't angry at the couple for basically calling her a slut, she was furious because they had called Daryl a lowlife loud enough for her and Daryl to hear it. “Come on, baby, let's go.”

She let go of Daryl and walked to the other side of his truck to get in. Daryl followed soon and started up the car and took off towards their apartment. It wasn't until he had pulled into his parking spot in front of their building, that he finally spoke up. 

“Is it true? Yer daddy gonna have ta close up shop soon, 'cause'a me?” The dark sunglasses hid his eyes and the guilty expression in them.

“Not because of you, Daryl. Because people around here are judgmental jackasses. Don't worry about it, everything is going to be fine and you are not to blame for anything, alright?” Teddy tried to reassure him, but she knew he would keep blaming himself anyway.

“What chu gon' do if ya lose yer job? For real, this time. Ain't nobody hiring, we know that from the first time he fired ya.”

“We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We're fine for now. Forget about those old geezers. They don't have anything else to live for anymore than to run around town and spread gossip.” She leaned over to him and kissed him sweetly on his soft lips. “Come on, gotta get these groceries put away and then we need to finish up getting you all settled in.”

Daryl nodded silently, but quickly stole another kiss from her before she was able to pull away. He tried not to let those old fucks get to him, but it was easier said than done. They sure had succeeded in messing up their good mood a little for the moment.

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“Fucking Christ, woman. How were ya able ta find anything in here?” Daryl shook his head as he surveyed all the things that littered their bed and the floor of the bedroom now after he had pulled them out of her overstuffed closet. He needed a bit more space in her closet in order to be able to fit all his things in there as well, so he had decided to take everything out and reorganize, since Teddy was lacking some serious skills in that department. When she had done laundry, she'd just pile everything in there, not caring where it went. There were blouses, mixed together with bras, jeans and his boxers, all in one pile (albeit a pretty neat pile), but still, it was too messed up for his taste.

“It's called organized chaos, babe. I have a good memory, I remember where I put everything.” Teddy shouted from the living room, where she was doing some ironing in front of the TV. 

“Yeah? That why ya scramble around like a chicken with its head cut off every morning, trying ta find yer phone and shoes and shit?” he shot back smirking, while he tried to keep Roxie from jumping on the bed and knocking the boxes to the floor, he'd put there from the top shelf of Teddy's closet.

“Nooo, it's because Roxie hides my stuff so I can't go to work.” Teddy laughed, making Daryl scoff out his own laugh at her made up excuse.

“Yeah right! That's your excuse now, but you been doin' it since way before we had her.” Daryl chuckled, momentarily distracted by his banter with Teddy, so he didn't realize right away that Roxie had jumped on the bed again. “Hey girl, no. Down, c'mon. Aw shit, that's what I wanted to avoid.” he sighed to himself. Roxie's jumping around had caused a couple of boxes to tumble off the bed, their contents now spilling all over the floor. “No more jumping on the bed, Rox! I mean it!” he said sternly to his baby girl, but he couldn't be mad at her, he loved her too damn much and when she looked up at him guiltily, he immediately broke down and crouched down to cuddle her. “Now, don't look at me like that. It's okay. Just be a good girl and don't jump on the bed or this will take forever.”

Roxie nudged his face, giving him a kiss before she trudged out of the room, leaving him to clean up the mess she had made. Daryl straightened and looked over to the contents of one of the boxes that were laying on the floor now. He walked over and grabbed the box, putting back the things that had fallen out of it, then he took the box and put it on his lap after sitting down on the bed. He stared down at it for a moment, before he gingerly picked up the light gray-colored baby romper with baby blue stripes. There was a little cartoon figure on it with the words 'Little Monster' right underneath it. It made him smile, but at the same time a heavy feeling ,he couldn't quite place, settled over him. It had to belong to Milo. A keepsake to remember him by. Shit that thing was tiny. Daryl had a hard time imagining that a human being would be small enough to fit into that thing. His thumb rubbed gently over the soft material before he picked up the next item from the box. Tiny hospital tag bracelets with Milo's name and date of birth on it, August 14th 2009. He carefully put them back in the box after examining them and picked up the photo album next. He flipped it open and his breath caught in his throat when he saw a picture of Teddy with a swollen belly. The date on the picture told him that it had been taken 3 days before Milo had been born. She looked beautiful. She hadn't changed much in the past couple of years, she just looked more mature now. He flipped to the next page and was met by a photo of a little baby boy with dark eyes and black hair, looking at the camera a little sceptically. “Milo, 5 days old.” he read the caption with a smile. He felt for the boy, Daryl hated being photographed as well and pretty much always sported the same look as Milo when a camera was pointed at him. He saw another picture at the bottom in which the boy was wearing the romper from the box. Daryl was amazed when he noticed that Milo looked like he was drowning in it, he had been even tinier than the romper and Daryl had already considered that super tiny.

He jumped when he felt a hand smooth over his shoulder blade, he'd been so caught up in the pictures that he hadn't even noticed Teddy coming in. He should go out to the woods more often again, he was losing his touch. “Shit. Sorry.” he looked at her apologetically and motioned towards the box. “Didn't mean ta snoop.”

“It's okay. It's not a secret.” she smiled and sank down on the bed next to him. “That was taken just a couple of hours after he was born.” she explained, when he flipped to the next page. 

“That yer brother and old man crying?”

“Yeah, they were all so happy. It's a damn emotional time, finally meeting that little person you've been waiting for for so long. They were so happy about becoming grandparents. Especially my dad.” She giggled. “He cried like a baby, it was so cute. He cried more than Milo. Gosh and Billy, he turned into a damn waterfall. He was in the delivery room with e when I gave birth.”

“Ain't that a little weird?” Daryl scrunched up his nose, actually finding it more than just a “little” weird.

“Guess it is. I thought so, too at first, but I was alone, my parents' flight had been delayed and I was so damn scared and that pain just wrecks you. After three hours of contractions I didn't care anymore about him possibly seeing things a brother shouldn't see. I was just glad that he was there and gave me love and support and a ton of strength. He did a great job, couldn't have done it without him.” Teddy's eyes got a little watery when she remembered how Billy had been there for her, it really had been a great experience for her to have him there and share Milo's first moments with him.

Daryl noticed that tears were about to start falling and the thought of her crying made his heart hurt, so he quickly flipped back to the first page and grinned. “You were huge! Looks like you're 'bout ta keel over.”

“Hey, watch it. I had a person inside of me, I was supposed to be big.” she laughed and swatted him lightly.

“I know, I know. Jus' kiddin'. Ya looked pretty.”

“And so young. Look how young I was.” she said while she leaned her head against his shoulder. 

“Ya still look the same. Don't look older now, jus' more grown up.”

“Can't believe I'll be 30 in three months.”

“Ain't old. I'm 36 now... ya callin' me old?”

“Maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it?” she grinned when she saw him carefully put the baby album and romper back into the box before setting it on the floor, a predatory look flashing in his eyes when he pushed her back on the bed.

“You been getting outta line a lot lately... Gotta teach ya some manners, huh?” he traced the tip of his nose along her body in a teasing, feathery touch, from the valley of her breasts up to her neck and all the way up to her ear, inhaling her scent, making the hairs on his body stand up when arousal shot through him. “Gotta show ya who's boss in here, don't I?” he growled into her ear before he bit down on the lobe.

“Yeah, guess you better.” she breathed, her heart already beating rapidly in excitement.

“I will,... “ he closed his right hand over her left breast and squeezed it with just the right amount of pressure, making her arch her back. “As soon as I'm done taking care of this mess you call a closet.” he smirked into her ear, breaking out into a chuckle when she shoved him.

“You can be a mean son of a bitch, you know that?”

“Awww, sorry darlin'. Consider it part of yer training. Patience, babe. Anticipation can be a damn good thing.” He placed a hard kiss on her lips before he pushed himself off of the bed and adjusted himself. “Now, go through that pile over there and sort it. The faster we're done, the faster we can get to the fun part.”

“Fine.” she grumbled and sat up and grabbed some clothes and started sorting and folding them neatly. “You going to the jail tomorrow to see your brother?”

“Yeah.”

“You gonna tell him that you got rid of your apartment?”

“Yep. That's gonna be a fun conversation. On the bright side, maybe he'll throw a fit big enough to attack the guards and have parole revoked.”

“Good luck with that.” Teddy chuckled.

“Thanks. Hey, how about we throw all yer shorts out?”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“They're too damn short.”

“It's why they are called shorts.”

“Don't want ya wearing 'em outside no more. Show off too much. That's just fer me ta see.”

“We live in Georgia and it's fucking July, Daryl. I am NOT throwing them out. Do that and I swear to God I'll run around in a bikini just to annoy the fuck out of you.” she threatened and Daryl figured she might mean it. 

“Don't like it.” he grunted and threw another bra of hers on the bra pile. Teddy didn't reply, she loved him, but she wouldn't let him dictate what she could wear outside. 

“Ya think 'bout him a lot? Yer son?” Daryl asked after the box with the baby items caught his gaze once more.

“Probably sounds bad when I say no, right? But the truth is, I don't think about him every single day. It still hurts too much, because I inevitably think about things like 'What would he look like now and what would he be like?'. The questions would just keep popping up and I would never ever find an answer,... so no, not an awful lot. There are times when I think about him more than on other occasions. His birthday, the anniversary of his death, holidays... As hard as it is and as cruel as it sounds, but life just goes on. I can't keep myself stuck in the past all the time. It's not healthy. It doesn't mean that I don't love him, though. I do. With all I have. His fifth birthday is coming up in a month. Billy and I are gonna fly out to Seattle for it, go see his grave. You could come with us, you know?”

“Dunno. I'll think about it.” he promised, but he wasn't so sure if it would be right thing to do. He didn't want to intrude. “Why ain't yer folks going?”

“Hurts them too much. Destroyed them almost as much as it destroyed me. Billy, too, but he's doing it for me and for Milo.” Daryl replied with a grunt of acknowledgment and started putting clothes back into the closet.

“What about you? You want kids? Or a kid?” Teddy asked, realizing that she had never asked him. She knew he would have been ready to have one with her if she had turned out to be pregnant, but maybe that had been more because it would have been the right thing to do.

“I'm terrified of havin' ma own kids.” Daryl admitted quietly, but a small smile played along his lips. “But I want 'em.” Suddenly the smile died and he cleared his throat. “Doesn't matter though. You don't want none no more.”

“You might meet someone else one day.”

“Stop.”

“Have kids with her.”

“Fucking stop, Teddy. Ain't gonna happen. Told you, you and me. Nobody else. Don't make me say it again.”

“Sorry.” she paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. “I can't promise you anything, Daryl...but I might change my mind about it. I never thought I would ever have something like we have. Didn't think I'd ever be ready to commit to somebody like this. You changed my mind about it, so maybe you'll change my mind about having another baby, too, eventually. Who knows? We'll have to wait and see.”

“Fair enough.” Daryl said with his back turned to her, effectively hiding the smile on his face.

######## ####### ####### ####### ####### #######

“You did WHAT??? The hell am I s'pposed ta stay at, boy? I ain't got no money. You know that!” Merle was clenching his fists, only a second away from punching Daryl's lights out. “It's that fucking girl you're with. She's messin' with yer head, son! Movin' in with her. You some kind of kept man now?”

“There's a sober living house on Church Street. Yer lawyer said that ya gotta find a job and stay clean or you're comin' back here, so sober living's probably the best thing for ya. Easier not to fall back into bad habits.” Daryl tried to stay calm and patient, but his big brother once again wasn't making it easy.

“Yeah, yeah, you're so full of shit that yer eyes are brown. You one of them now. Fucking stuck up Robertsons. What ya just said? Tell me that didn't sound like it came out of yer bitch's doctor mouth. She should be on her knees suckin' yer dick instead of spoutin' off about things she don't know shit about. Don't know her fucking place, that one. But what did I expect, ya just a damn pussy, always been. All those years tryin' ta make a real man outta ya. All a waste.”

“You done? Anyway, got a couple of boxes of your stuff at our place. I'll bring em to wherever you're gon' stay at when you're outta here.”

“And then what? Then ya gonna take off, back to your new family? Leavin' me ta rot out on the streets?”

“Ain't gotta rot out in the streets. Just gotta get yer act together, man. Ain't that hard. But we ain't gon' be hanging out much no more.”

“Yeah, so ya can play nice with yer new Mommy and Daddy, huh? They gonna dress ya up like you their doll soon? Take ya to their little cocktail parties and show ya off like a new pet?”

“They're good people. Got their flaws, like anybody else, but they done right by me since I've met them.”

“Pfff.” Merle was out of ammo. Trying to make Daryl think that Teddy had some kind of ulterior motive was no longer working and obviously not true, it had been too long now. His baby brother had really found a woman and a new family, one that was treating him better than his own blood and it was a bitter pill to swallow for Merle. He was sure though that those people had convinced Daryl to cut his brother loose. Daryl wouldn't do that on his own free will. Probably offered him money to do it. Fucking bunch of pussy assholes. All of them. Merle had to come to terms with the realization that for the first time in almost 20 years, he would be truly on his own. No Daryl to bail him out and deep down it scared him, because life was about to get harder. He would have to make an effort to stay out of jail, all by himself, when he had counted on Daryl to find him a job somehow or lie for him, convince his boss Mike to tell the parole officer that Merle worked at the shop or something. But like this? He would really have to go and find a damn job. Not something Merle liked doing very much. He preferred being free to do whatever pleased him, whenever it pleased him.

“You have a date yet? For when they're gonna let ya outta here?” Daryl asked soon, feeling too awkward with just sitting there and looking at his silent brother. Even though he probably should enjoy the rare occasion of Merle being quiet.

“Nah, Hanson is working it out right now. Should know more next week.”

“'Kay, just gimme a call when ya need yer stuff and I'll bring it to ya.”

“That all ya came for? Ta tell me I'm homeless?”

“I got a dog for my birthday.” Daryl said without thinking, immediately wincing after the words had left his mouth.

“Jesus fucking Christ. How old are ya? Eight?” Merle was laughing his ass off. “I got a dog for my birthday. I'm gonna put pink ribbons in his hair and make him all pretty.” Merle was speaking in a ridiculous, high-pitched voice, imitating a little girl.

“Fuck off, man.” Daryl muttered angrily, for the millionth time wishing he hadn't come here.

“Naw, you go fuck off. Get outta here, have yer girlfriend buy pretty things for ya.”

Their 30 minutes of visitation were up anyway and Daryl couldn't be happier about it. They didn't say goodbye, just looked at each other angrily, like they did pretty much every single time, because they always got into an argument. Daryl was so NOT looking forward to Merle being back out and roaming the streets of Jasper soon.

########## ####### ####### ######## ####### ########

Roxie peed on the floor a little when Daryl entered the apartment, she was so happy that her Daddy was back. In the ten days that they'd had her, she had spent pretty much 24/7 with Daryl and according to the neighbors, she'd already howled the house down yesterday when they had moved Daryl out of his apartment and had gone shopping after without her. That he'd left without her again this morning had made her sad. Daryl crouched down and greeted her properly until she had calmed down, then he quickly got some cleaning supplies from under the sink and cleaned the spot on the floor. When he put the stuff back he noticed food on the table. He thought Teddy was still sleeping, but apparently she had already gone out to get something to eat. 

“Where's momma, girl? C'mon, let's look for her. Teddy? Where ya at, girl?” Daryl called out to the quiet apartment.

“Office.” she shouted back and looked up from her laptop with a smile when the pair came in. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Daryl leaned down and kissed her. When he straightened back up he motioned for her to get up from her chair and when she obeyed he sat himself down and pulled her to sit on his lap. “Thought ya wanted ta sleep some more?”

“I tried, but Roxie was not very happy about you leaving and kept whimpering, so I took her for a walk over to my parents, got some of their leftover breakfast.”

“I saw.”

“How was your visit with Merle?”

“Pfff, don't ask. Same as usual.” Daryl sighed deeply, not particularly eager to talk about his brother. Also, the things that he read on the screen of her laptop confused him.

“He wasn't happy about you giving up the apartment, huh?”

“No he was not. Why are ya looking at hotels in Austin, Texas?” His brow furrowed and he got a bad feeling, when she smiled apologetically.

“Because I'm gonna need a room there for about a week.” she explained and Daryl felt like he was turning into a stone statue when he processed what she was saying, every muscle in his body tensed.

“What the fuck for?” he asked in a dangerously low voice.

“I talked to my Dad this morning and he had just read about some medical seminars in Austin that would be kind of good for me to attend. A lot of GP stuff and domiciliary care,... Won't hurt to freshen up some stuff and learn something new.”

“When?”

“End of the month.”

“Awesome. Ya leave for a week, come back for a couple of days and are off to Seattle with yer bro for another couple of days? Fucking perfect.”

“Seattle is just two days and you can always come with us.”

“Yeah? What about Roxie?”

“She can stay with my parents for two days, baby. They love her and she loves them. They'll take good care of her.”

“Fuck, girl! A whole week?”

“Not a whole 7 days. I'll try to make it as short as possible. I don't wanna be away from you for too long either. But it might be 4 or 5 days.”

“Great. What a fucking day. Should'a stayed in bed.” he grumbled and started rubbing his hand over her thighs.

“Sorry, honey. At least we can speak on the phone and text and stuff.”

“Yeah.” he sighed and looked down to where his fingertips glided along the bare skin of her upper thighs. She was wearing really small jean shorts and a white tank top and his eyes narrowed when realization hit him. “Ya been out there dressed like this?”

“Of course. It's like a 110 fucking degrees already.”

“Told ya yesterday I don't want ya goin' out like this. All those fuckers staring at 'em legs... makes me fucking sick.”

“And I told you, that I won't let you tell me what to wear. Want me to have a heatstroke?” Teddy's eyes were challenging. She knew the look in Daryl's and she knew things were about to get interesting.

“Never got around ta give ya what I wanted ta give ya yesterday. Ya distracted me 'gain.” he drawled and raked his blunt nails up over her thighs. “Ya been a pretty bad girl lately. Mouthy 'nd defiant... Can't have that, can we?”

“Maybe you gotta stuff that mouth to shut me up.” 

“Nah, got something better in mind. Ya need to get it outta yer system. You're stressed. Yer whole body's tense with it. Get up! Take of them damn shorts! Top, too.” Teddy climbed off his lap and unbuttoned her shorts, pushing them over her hips and letting them fall to the hardwood floor of her office before she peeled off her white tank top and let it join her shorts. Daryl clenched his fists, a streak of anger flashing through him when he looked at her bare breasts.

“No bra? Ya went out there in those tiny shorts and no bra on top of that? Yer in trouble now, girl. Come here.” he grabbed her wrist and roughly pulled her to him, making her stumble over her own feet. Daryl caught her, though, and pulled her to lay over his lap, delivering a sharp smack to her round ass, that had her crying out in shock.

“Shit, baby. Could've warned me.” she gasped, squirming a little when his warm hand caressed the reddening skin over the material of her thin grey cotton panties.

“I been warning ya for days, sweetheart, but ya just don't listen.” A second smack to her other butt cheek made her moan and squirm some more in his lap. “Makes me think ya did it on purpose. Ya wanted some of this? Huh?” his hand connected with her round flesh once more.

“Yessss.” she hissed, making him chuckle.

“Oh darlin', all ya had ta do was ask.” the fourth smack hit her, making her jump and reflexively reach her hands back, trying to rub and soothe the marks. Daryl quickly caught her wrists in one of his hands and held them tight behind her back, while he smoothed his other hand over her still panties-covered ass, slowly moving his fingers further down, pressing the cotton against her weeping opening, moistening the fabric with her arousal. “I fucking love this as much as you do, darlin'. Look at that. Excited already.” he moved his fingers even further down to press against her clit, rubbing slow circles for a moment. His inner animal had awakened and it was more than ready to play. He relished in her moans, while his eyes scanned her desk, not looking for anything in particular, but then something caught his attention, making a slow grin spread out on his lips. He leaned forward over her body and grabbed the slim wooden ruler from her desk organizer. He eyed it for a second, before he placed it on top of the desk, then he proceeded to tug her panties down to her knees. He picked the ruler back up and slid the smooth wooden surface over her soft, reddened skin.

“Oh shit.” Teddy moaned quietly when she felt the inanimate object rub her sensitive skin. She couldn't see it, but she was pretty sure that she knew what it was.

“Oh yeah.” Daryl's chuckle was deep and purely masculine. “Told ya, ya were in trouble, didn't I? Trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Good, then let's have some fun.” he grinned and started tapping the ruler lightly against her butt, slowly building up the intensity and testing out how hard he could go. Teddy squirmed and moaned and struggled a little against the hold he had on her wrists, but he could tell she enjoyed it by the way she kept trying to rub her legs together to get some friction on her pussy. “Don't worry, darlin'. That's gon' get some attention as well.” Daryl grinned. He delivered a last little smack to her ass, then he let the ruler take the path his hand had taken earlier, pressing it flat against her wet entrance, rubbing against it gently before he tapped it with the ruler ever so slightly. Teddy jerked in his lap and cursed under her breath in response. 

“Good?” Daryl asked her, his voice deep and rough from his own arousal. This whole thing had him hard as a rock and Teddy squirming her hot little body against his erection the whole time wasn't helping things either. He was close to loosing it, but he wanted a little bit more playtime before he would fuck the sass out of her, so he forced himself to stay in control. He just loved when she gave herself over to him like this, fully trusting him to make her feel good and not hurt her with this little experiment.

He tapped her opening once more before he slid it down to her clit, too curious to see her reaction to receiving this particular kind of stimulation there. He grinned when she already started shivering when he rubbed the smooth wood over the swollen nub, her moans increasing in intensity and volume, when he pressed the ruler against her hard and moved it from side to side with quick jerky motions.

“Oh fuck... oh baby, yes... yes...” Daryl was sure he would be able to make her cum like this, but that wasn't the plan, not yet anyway, this was supposed to be at least a little bit of punishment. He ceased his motions, making Teddy whimper at the loss of that delicious friction, and switched over to holding the ruler loosely in his hand and placing light careful taps against her clit, being extra careful not to hurt that sensitive area.

Teddy's legs were shaking, almost in the same rhythm at which he was sending surges of lust through her lower body with his light slapping. She was dripping wet and probably the most aroused she had ever been in her entire life. There was no coherent thought left in her brain except for 'fuck me'.

“Fuck me, baby. Please.” she voiced that single thought out loud between her erratic breaths. 

“We'll get to that, darlin'. Very soon. Mmmm, look at how wet you are for me. Dirty girl likes ta get her sweet little pussy spanked, don't she?”

“Yes. Daryl, please...”

“Please what?”

“More, please.” Teddy moaned and tried to move her hips so she would be able to press up against that damn ruler again, desperate for the friction, but Daryl wouldn't give her what she wanted just yet.

“Ya wanna cum, girl?”

“YES!” she moaned, but then immediately resorted to begging when her ears picked up the sound of the ruler connecting with the top of her desk. “No, no, no, don't stop please!”

“Love it when ya beg.” He groaned and smacked the back of her left thigh, this time using his hand again, before he but his fingers between her legs again. “Shit girl, yer soaked.” His fingers slid easily through her folds right down to her clit, using the pad of his middle finger to circle it gently, making intense heat spreading through her pelvis. It was enough to turn her on to no end, but not enough to make her cum and he knew that. He just loved driving her insane.

“Daryl, fuck, please!” Her whole body was trembling and tears sprang to her eyes, she couldn't take this teasing, she just wanted to get fucked and have him make her cum. 

“Patience, darlin'.” The same middle finger now left her clit and slid right up into her pussy. Her walls clamped down on the digit immediately and Teddy hoped to God he would add another one and just fuck her already. Of course he didn't. He curved his finger so it pressed down towards her belly and moved it back and forth experimentally, waiting for the sign that he had found her hot spot.

“Aaah shiiit. No, Daryl, please no. No more teasing, please. Just fuck me, I beg you.” Daryl delivered another smack to her ass while he worked her G-spot with his finger for a minute, feeling her get wetter by the second. He knew she was reaching the point of the throbbing between her legs turning painful, it was the same for him. He released her hands and pulled her up to a standing position, immediately following her and bending his head to press his lips against hers, his tongue plundering her mouth passionately. Teddy slumped against him, her knees way past the point of holding her up. With a quick swipe of his arm Daryl cleared her table, unfortunately forgetting about her laptop being one of the items that would fall to the floor. The loud crash didn't even register with Teddy. She was clinging to him and his lips as if her life depended on it. Daryl lifted her and deposited her on the desk.

“Lay back.” he ordered while he made quick work of his own clothing. Once naked, he stepped up to the edge of the desk, grabbing her ankles and lifting her legs up to his shoulders. He guided his throbbing cock to her opening, just pushing the tip in, almost cumming right then and there, when he felt her velvety, slick heat convulse around it. His hands took hold of her wrists, pinning them at the edge of the desk, left and right to her ass and then he slammed home with one gloriously deep and hard thrust that made them both cry out in pleasure and relief.

He set a hard and fast pace, his body slapping against her over-sensitized flesh, his thighs banged into the table with every thrust, but he didn't give a fuck, he lost himself in the sounds and sensations of their carnal pleasures. When he felt himself near his point of no return, he released one of her hands and traced his fingers back to the little smooth pearl between her folds that would help her explode around him. His other hand released the hold on her hand, too, but instead of letting go he intertwined their fingers, bonding them in yet another way. Teddy started chanting his name like a mantra, the sure fire sign that she was about to cum and Daryl couldn't hold back any longer. Another five quick and hard thrusts and he collapsed forward on top of her with a roar, the force of his climax knocking the breath out of him. He only vaguely felt Teddy's body jerk and convulse under his, the sharp, burn of her nails leaving trails down his sweat-slicked back was dulled by the intense pleasure that was clouding his brain. All he could do was rest his forehead against her shoulder and try to get his erratic breathing under control.

Once his senses returned back to normal, he felt completely at peace and relaxed, all his frustrations had been fucked out of his body. He smiled at the feeling and raised his head to look up at his girl. Teddy had tears streaming out of her eyes and over her temples until they fell into her hair. Daryl squeezed the hand that was still linked with his, the other reaching up to her face and gently wiping her tears away with his thumb.

“You okay, darlin'?” his voice was a whisper. He felt like the peaceful atmosphere would get disrupted by him talking too loudly.

“I'm more than okay. That was...”

“'xactly what we needed?” Daryl offered with a gentle smile.

“Yes. I feel so good right now. Like a wet noodle, all limp and relaxed.” she smiled and used her free hand to play with his hair.

“Me, too.”

“Don't wanna get up.” she mumbled. She enjoyed their shared closeness way too much in that moment.

“I know, but we have ta. Let's be lazy asses and go back to bed until our girl needs another walk.” he kissed her gently before he pushed himself up and helped her off the desk. “You go ahead, I'll get us what we'll need.” he said while he collected his boxer briefs from the floor and pulled them on. Teddy surveyed the chaos and her possibly broken laptop on the floor and found that she couldn't care less about that in that moment. She trudged into the bathroom on bare feet to freshen up, before she slipped back into bed and waited for Daryl to join her. He soon came in with a plate of waffles she had taken from her parents' house and the calendula creme they used after their slightly rougher sessions. 

“Turn over, babe.” he pulled the sheet from her body carefully applied the creme to the red skin of her ass, gently massaging it in. Teddy purred contentedly and stayed on her stomach when he was done. 

“Thank you, baby.” she turned her head and smiled at him.

“Don't wanna eat? Ya need it.” he had scooted down to lay on his side next to her and was kissing and stroking her back, tickling her sensually.

“In a minute. Mmmm, that's nice.” she mumbled, her eyes closing when he made goosebumps break out on her skin from his gentle caresses.

“Ya mean everythin' ta me. Ya know that, right?” his quiet and serious statement made her eyes snap open. She looked into his beautiful blue eyes while she reached up and stroked her thumb over his cheekbone, then she nodded.

“I know. I love you, too.” she said and let her thumb slide over his slightly parted lips. Daryl held her gaze and opened his lips wider, letting his teeth graze the pad of her thumb in a soft bite. A soft press of lips against the digit followed before he leaned towards her and kissed her lips, long and gentle. He was glad that she understood what he meant without explicitly saying it. 

“Let's eat.” he smiled and sat back up with his back against the headboard. Teddy watched him a moment longer, how he stuffed a piece of waffle into his mouth, grunting his approval at the taste before quickly shoving another piece between his lips. 

“Love you.” Teddy whispered once more, before she finally sat up, too, taking her place cuddled up into his side. Daryl held a piece of waffle to her mouth, but jerked it away again when she wanted to take a bite and stuffed it into his own mouth.

“Hey!” Teddy laughed and pinched his side, making him squirm a little. Daryl put his strong arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, just looking at her beautiful face while he chewed with a little smile on his face. 'Love ya, Teddy' he thought, before he leaned in and placed another long kiss on her lips.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Teddy's been gone for a whole night and a whole day and already Daryl didn't know what to do with himself. He missed her and he was bored beyond belief. He still had to wait half an hour before he could call her, because she was still at one of those stupid seminars. He decided to take Roxy for a quick walk to pass the time and pick up a six-pack of beer at the store to keep him company and help him sleep that night. Last night without being able to wrap himself around his woman had been extremely sleepless, only worsening his mood all day long.

He heard the phone ring just when he was about to let himself and Roxy back into their apartment. He hurriedly fumbled with the keys, groaning in frustration when he dropped them, for a second considering to just kick in the door real quick, because he was sure it was Teddy who was calling and he was not going to miss that call. Finally he got the key into the lock and opened the door, almost throwing himself over the couch to reach the phone in time.

“'lo?” he was out of breath when he finally picked up the phone.

“Well hello there, honey. Did I interrupt something?” he heard Teddy's grin in her voice, a voice he was extremely delighted to hear.

“Get your mind outta the gutter, Doc.” he laughed and let himself sink down on the couch, squirming around a little to get comfortable while Roxy curled up on the other end of it.

“Why? It's so much more fun in the gutter. So you're not whacking off right now?”

“Nah. Just got back from a walk with our girl. Was runnin' to the phone. How's fucking Austin?”

“Very hot, mostly. Don't get to see much of it. I'm stuck in a dark room looking at power-point presentations and listening to boring speeches all day. It's like being back in college for a week, only without the frat parties.” she giggled, but it didn't amuse Daryl. The thought of her out partying with strange men made his blood boil.

“There better ain't no damn frat parties. Yer not there ta party with fucking college guys.”

“Hm, looks like I'm not the only one with a jealous streak, am I?”

“Hell, no. Thought of you walking down the streets in yer tiny shorts and the bastards looking at you makes me sick, how do ya think I feel bout you drinking and partying with other men?” he was talking agitatedly, as if it had already happened. It made Teddy grin a little. He was hot when he was angry and she could just imagine what he'd look like now. Eyes narrowed, snarling, fists clenched. Delicious.

“Relax, baby. I won't do any partying. On my afternoons off I'll just go to the spa or shopping, girly stuff.”

“Good. I trust ya, but I don't trust other guys. If anyone gets handsy, don't shy away from kicking 'em in the crotch with yer heels.”

“Daryl, what do you think is gonna happen here? It's like school, it's boring and I'm not looking to hang out with anyone. Just forget about it. Tell me about your day.” Teddy changed the topic before things got out of hand. She did not want to argue with him on the phone while she was gone.

“Didn't sleep. Had breakfast alone, went ta work, got back, had dinner alone, went out with Rox and now I'm here with you on the phone.” Daryl rattled off grumpily, making sure to emphasize the “alone” part. Teddy chose to ignore it, she didn't like being away from him either, but this was something she needed to do.

“Merle got out today, didn't he?”

“Yeah.”

“And he hasn't contacted you yet?”

“No, probably busy with finding a place to stay and his parole officer or shit like that. Another day of peace, before he pops up. That's fine by me.”

“You are probably right about that. Don't let him drag you down, baby. You are much more of a decent person than he will ever be. Don't let him convince you otherwise. You don't have to fall in line.” Teddy almost sounded like she was begging. She was really worried about Merle fucking everything up. He had the power to brainwash Daryl, everybody knew that and she was anxious about the fact that Merle was getting released from prison while she wasn't in town to have Daryl's back and talk sense into him, if Merle tries to put his little brother under his thumb again.

“Yeah yeah, I know. I won't. Talked 'bout this a hundred times, woman. Just drop it.”

“Fine. I trust you. You'll do the right thing.” Teddy hoped that her believing in him would be enough to stay strong.

######## ######## ######## ####### ######## ########

Another day passed and Daryl was in such a foul mood that Billy decided to take some action. He talked to everybody at work and all agreed that it had been too long since they've all gone out for a drink together after work. Daryl gladly tagged along, happy to get out of the house and have a little distraction from missing Teddy. So after he had gone home to drop off Roxy, he went down to the bar and sat at a table with all of his colleagues, downing two beers in quick succession. He wished he would have stayed home, though, when Sandra wouldn't leave him alone and being all over him. The woman just didn't get that he wasn't interested and that he had a girlfriend. When he started on his third beer, things got even worse, because that was, when a big hand landed hard on his shoulder and he heard the very distinctive voice of his brother.

“Well if it ain't ma lil' sister Darylina. Out drinking with yer brother-in-law, I see. Y'all are like peas in a fucking pod, aren't cha? Ya still called Dixon? Or did ya change yer name ta fucking Robertson yet? That yer bitch?” Merle spat, pointing at Sandra. Before Daryl could answer, Sandra did.

“What if I am?” she grinned challengingly.

“If ya are, then ma brother's got better taste in broads than I thought.” Merle grinned and licked his teeth suggestively.

“Ain't Teddy. She's gone for the week.” Daryl cut in, shrugging off Sandra's hand that was once more creeping up his arm to smooth over his shoulder.

“You dog! More of me in ya than I thought. Good ta know.” Merle winked proudly. “Yer little doctor girlfriend know what yer up to when she's outta town?”

“It's not like that.” Billy had heard enough and spoke up. “Sandra's got a problem with boundaries, that's all. Listen Merle, this is a work-only thing, so why don't you fuck off over to the bar and bother those drunk fucks there?”

“You got a lot of nerve, you little punk. Don't ya know who yer talking, too? I could stomp yer ass into the ground faster than you could blink.” Merle threatened Billy, walking towards him with a menacing expression on his face.

“Yeah, but you really can't, can you? Not if you wanna stay out of the big house.” Billy shot back, not intimidated by the older Dixon. Merle's eyes narrowed and he had a good mind to rip Billy's throat out with his bare hands, but unfortunately the little fucker was right. Merle couldn't do a damn thing except talk. And that he did. A lot.

The night just kept getting worse and worse. Of course Merle didn't fuck off to the bar, he stayed right where he was and he kept egging on Sandra, getting a kick out of how uncomfortable her affections made Daryl and how exasperated and annoyed they made Billy. In retrospect, both men couldn't explain why they didn't just leave. It had been like an unavoidable car wreck they hadn't been able to get out of in time. Merle kept ordering shots, making Sandra drunker and drunker with every single one, lowering her inhibitions as well. Daryl kept his cool, he just kept shrugging her off and telling her and Merle to cut it out. But then all of a sudden Sandra leaned in and licked along the side of his neck up to his ear, and Daryl freaked out. He didn't even really mean to do it, it was just reflex, but he gripped her arms and shoved her away, making her almost fall off her chair, if it hadn't been for Merle catching her.

“The fuck, woman???” Daryl yelled at her incredulously. 

“Come on, Daryl. Time for us to go.” Billy grabbed Daryl's arm and pulled him towards the exit.

“That was a mistake.” Sandra growled viciously. She might have been drunk, but she was fuming at being rejected that way.

“Shit man, shit. I didn't mean to...” Daryl stammered when he and Billy were outside and walking down the street.

“Everybody knows that, Daryl. Don't worry. She crossed the line. Everybody's been telling her for weeks that you ain't interested. It's her own fucking fault. Come on, I'll walk you home.”

Billy took Daryl home, where the hunter just dropped down on the bed and fell asleep. The fatigue and the alcohol finally catching up with him. Billy took off Daryl's boots and covered him with a blanket. He texted Teddy that they had gone out for drinks and that Daryl had fallen asleep, so she wouldn't worry about him not answering his phone. He put food in Roxy's bowl and cuddled her for a moment, before he left for his own apartment. Daryl had become like a brother for him and he hated that he just seemed to attract these shitstorms, one of those being Merle. That asshole had been in great shape tonight, ruining everything for his little brother once again. Billy had almost hoped that Merle would have hit him, because then they would be able to send his ass back to jail. Unfortunately Merle had been too smart for that to happen. One thing was clear to Billy: they all had to do their best to keep Merle away from Daryl. He had made too much progress in the past couple of months, it would be a damn shame to have Merle destroy it all within a week.

######## ######## ####### ####### ######## ########

Gerald was holding his arm up in front of his face, trying not to breathe through his nose. The stench of urine, vomit and feces heavy in the air. Defecated underwear was pretty much lining the floor along with big spots of vomit and it was all buried under a mass of emtpy alcohol bottles, some of them presumably filled with piss, because Will Dixon had been too weak to get up anymore to use the bathroom.

It was 1 am at night and Gerald had been called in to verify a life extinct. The life extinct in question had been none other than Will Dixon. The Robertson patriarch had expected this to happen sooner or later, still he was filled with sadness. Not for the dead man in the recliner, but for his son. Even though Will didn't deserve to be mourned, Gerald knew that Daryl would.

“We should get Daryl down here.” Chris Malone, the police officer knew all the Dixons and knew that Daryl had always been the one to be notified when Will or Merle were in trouble.

“No.” Gerald stated decisively. “I'll notify Daryl. If he wants to see him one more time he can do it at the morgue. Daryl doesn't need to see all of this. He'll just find a way to blame himself.” Gerald muttered the last part mostly to himself, but Officer Malone still heard and nodded in agreement. 

Gerald decided to call around for one of those special cleaning crews who took care of messes like Will had left in his house. He wanted to spare Daryl the horrible experience of seeing and smelling it like this. He would do it first thing in the morning. Well, second actually. First thing would be, breaking the news to Daryl.

####### ####### ####### ####### ######## #######

Daryl's eyes snapped open the next morning, when he heard the front door being unlocked. Roxy stood at alert as well, but she started wagging her tail, when she recognized the voice that was calling out.

“Daryl? Darling, are you here?” Bernadette's voice floated through the apartment, making Daryl frown deeply in confusion. He swung himself out of bed and trotted out into the hall, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He froze when he noticed that both, Gerald and Bernadette, were standing in front of him with somber expressions on their faces. The worst scenarios were shooting through Daryl's mind and he stared at them nervously.

“What's wrong? Teddy? Is ma woman okay?” his voice turned more frantic with every word and Bernadette quickly held up her hands and hushed him.

“It's not Teddy, she's fine.” she assured him and a big breath of relief whooshed out of his lungs.

“Shit, ya fucking scared me. What chu doin' here then?” he was confused about their presence.

“It's your father, sweetheart.”

“He gone?” Daryl knew that would have to be the reason why they were both here. It had only been a matter of time.

“Yes.” Gerald confirmed and put his hand on Daryl's shoulder gently to offer some comfort. “Last night, son.”

“He suffer?”

The answer was yes, but Gerald didn't have the heart to tell him that outright, so he fibbed a little. “He was probably too out of it to feel much of anything. He'd still been drinking.”

Daryl nodded and looked down on the floor and chewed on his lip while he processed the news. He looked so much like a little boy in that moment and Bernadette's motherly instincts went into overdrive. She slung her arms around him and rubbed his back softly.

“I'm sorry, honey. I know you wanted to help him, but he couldn't be helped.”

Daryl touched her arm hesitantly, a little overwhelmed by the love and support Teddy's parents were showing him. So much more with these little gestures than his own parents had ever shown him his entire life. Still he felt sad at the loss of his father.

“What do I do now?” he asked after a moment of silence and Bernadette finally released him.

“We'll help you with everything. Don't worry, you won't be alone in this.” Gerald promised him. Then they took him to the kitchen for some coffee and he explained to Daryl what they would have to do now in order to arrange the funeral. 

The morning was a blur. Daryl had called Merle. His brother had told him he was staying at a buddy's house, so he had called him there to let him know and ask him if he wanted to help out. All he got was a scoff from his older brother and a declaration of how happy he was the dirty old bastard was gone. No help there. Thankfully he had Teddy's parents to help him out and guide him through the necessary steps. There was so much that had to be done. By noon he hadn't even been able to call Teddy and tell her, yet. Just when the threesome had arrived back at the apartment for a lunch break, there was a knock on the door. Gerald went to answer it and was surprised to find Officer Malone and his colleague on the other side.

“Officer? Surprised to see you here? What can we do for you?”

“Is Daryl here? We need to speak to him.”

“Sure come on in, what's this about?” Gerald was confused about the cause of their visit.

“What's going on?” Daryl came out of the kitchen and looked at the men questioningly.

“I'm afraid we have to ask you to come down to the station with us. Answer some questions.” 

“What about?”

“You familiar with a Sandra Dempsey?” Officer Malone asked him.

“Yeah, I work with her. Why?”

“She is accusing you of assault and battery. She's pressing charges, so you have to come with us now.”

Daryl's heart dropped into his stomach, the events of last night coming back to him. He felt dazed, while Gerald jumped in to defend him.

“This has to be a mistake. Daryl would never hit a woman. You can't take him, his father just died, you know that.”

“I'm sorry Dr. Robertson, just doing our job. Come on, Daryl. Let's go.” Officer Malone put his hand on Daryl's arm and guided him out to their car. 

“We're coming with you. Don't worry son, it will all be alright.” Gerald assured a still dazed Daryl frantically while he and Bernadette gathered their things and hurried after them.

####### ######## ######## ######## ######## ########

How had things turned to shit this quickly? Daryl kept wondering about that. On Sunday morning, he'd been just a regular guy who'd fucked his girlfriend goodbye on the kitchen table, not a care in the world except knowing how much he'd fucking miss her. And now? Now it was just Thursday noon and he was out of jail on fucking bail, waiting for the police to finish their investigation and decide if they want to officially charge him with assault and battery. Oh yeah, and his father was dead and he had to attend a funeral on Monday. 

Gerald and Bernadette had posted bail immediately and had gotten him a good lawyer, just in case the police decided to charge him. Billy had already given his statement, after he'd received the call from his father about Daryl's arrest. After that he'd spent hours tracking down Merle and some familiar faces from the bar, who would all be able to testify that Sandra had been the aggressor and that Daryl hadn't meant to purposefully hurt her. The other guys from work had given their statements as well, telling the cops how Sandra hadn't left Daryl alone ever since she'd started working at the garage and that Daryl had always kept his cool. He'd only reacted purely on instinct, when she had suddenly put her tongue on him.

Sandra didn't have a case, everybody kept telling him that, but Daryl didn't believe them. He knew he was going to jail. He had never been much in luck with anything, why would this be any different? He was startled out of his thoughts when he felt Teddy's soft lips on his bare shoulder. She had blown off the rest of the seminars and had taken the next available flight home after she had finally gotten a hold of Billy late Wednesday night. They had just gotten back home from the station a couple of hours ago and once they had been alone in the confines of their bedroom, Daryl had broken down and had cried in her arms for a long time. She had cried right along with him, while she'd held him and offered him comfort. She just couldn't understand how things like this would happen to him. He was the best person she had ever known and yet he found himself in trouble more often than not. 

“You need to sleep some more, baby. You need your rest.” she whispered against his skin

“Too fucking anxious.” Daryl sighed and rubbed his tired eyes.

“I know. I hope they'll come to a decision quickly. This waiting will wear you down.”

“Will ya wait for me?”

“Daryl, don't talk like that. You are not going to jail.”

“I might. I'll be a felon. No better than the rest of ma fucked up family.”

“Stop it, Daryl. You stop that right now. You didn't do anything wrong and everybody is backing you up. You'll be fine.” Teddy admonished him softly. She didn't even want to think about losing him to jail over that bitch and her false claims.

“Just tell me. Will ya still want me after?”

“Of course, baby. This doesn't change anything. I know you. I know you didn't hit her. You just reacted and pushed her away. If the roles would have been reversed, no man would ever press charges for this, but she is a mean and jealous bitch. Woman can be hardcore, I told you that before, right? This is her getting you back for not wanting her, that's all and the evidence is there and will prove you're innocent.”

“What if they think I'm guilty?”

“Don't go there. They won't.” Teddy cradled his face in her hands and kissed him long and hard. She only stopped because she heard a loud knock on the front door. Daryl tensed up immediately, fearing it was the cops, coming to arrest him. “Relax. Stay here, I'll go see who it is. Could be my mom.”

Teddy got out of bed and put on her robe on her way to the door. She opened it and frowned at the stranger, not having the wherewithal to be friendly at that moment. “Can I help you?”

“Daryl around?” the man asked while he studied her closely. She felt like she was an interesting insect under a microscope. Kinda like she felt when Daryl studied her like that when they first met.

“Who wants to know?”

“His brother.”

“Hmm.” she shot him a hard look, not moving and not saying anything for a long moment. Merle almost jumped when she suddenly started yelling. “Babe, you in the mood to talk to your brother?”

“Yeah, it's fine.” she heard him come out of the bedroom. The dullness in his voice hurt her heart. It was like he'd given up hope already.

Teddy moved out of the way and let Merle in. He strode in with his usual swagger and looked around. “Nice set-up ya got yerself here, Darylina. Flew right into the bird's nest and made yaself comfortable. Smart move.”

“What do you want?” Daryl asked tiredly, not in the mood to even react to his brother's taunting.

Merle followed Daryl into the kitchen, while Teddy went to the bedroom to get dressed. He grew serious and cleared his throat. “Listen. Didn't mean for ya ta get in so much trouble.”

“Right. That's why ya kept egging her on. Couldn't leave well enough alone. Needed her ta get a rise outta me, just to fuck with me. Like always. Is your life really that fucking miserable that ya need ta drag down others with you? Ma life was finally going somewhere and then you came along and shot it all back to hell within less than 48 hours of being out.” Daryl voice rose in volume as he was starting to break out of the dull shell he's been in for the past day. It felt good to be able to unleash his anger and at the right person, too. 

“Oh, yer life was finally going somewhere, yeah? Where? Into slavery by any chance? You ain't nothin' but a prostitute. You fuck her and she buys ya pretty things.” Merle didn't even know what hit him. One second he was yelling back at Daryl and the next he saw a flash of dark hair before his head was rearing to the side, his cheek smarting.

“Get the fuck out of here. You don't come here and call him a prostitute after all the shit you managed to put him through yet again. Out. NOW.” Teddy's hand hurt quite a bit from the slap she'd delivered to Merle's face, but it also felt satisfying. She shoved him towards the door, not wanting him around any longer, the guy was disgusting.

“I come ta apologize and this is what I get? Let yer bitch fight yer fights for ya now, baby brother? Yeah, yer life is definitely going somewhere. Pussytown, fer sure. Maybe ya should spend some time in the clink. Might make a man outta you.”

“You're despicable.” Teddy spat before she slammed the door in his face and locked it. “Idiot.” She walked back into the kitchen and sighed. “Are you sure you are even related? You couldn't be more different.”

“I was a lot like him. Ask yer brother, he'll tell ya all about it.” Daryl told her, his voice softer again now that Merle was gone.

“Billy always liked you. I think he saw what I saw when I first met you.”

“What was that?”

“A sweet and gentle soul, that's just hiding behind the big redneck asshole wall you built up over the years.”

“Yeah right.”

“It's true. It's like I said, your bark is far worse than your bite. After I had met you a couple of times it became very obvious that the asshole thing was just an act. Sometimes when we talked or when we set up my furniture, you let your guard down for a moment and forgot about playing your role, your true self showed. Probably without you even realizing it. You were very caring. You ARE very caring. Always made sure that I was okay. I felt like the scratches I got when I dropped that shelf, that those hurt you more than they hurt me. Same with the scratches from the woods... That's your true nature. You care about things and people. You're pretty emotional.”

“Stop.”

“It's true and it's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's a good trait. Especially in a strong, hardened man like yourself. You have the ability to still put yourself in other people's shoes. You're not selfish. You are actually the least selfish person I know. You're a good man, Daryl. Believe it.” Teddy smiled and kissed his lips gently. Daryl wanted to believe her, he really did, but he couldn't.

“But I shoved her.”

“And I just slapped and shoved your brother. Does that make me a bad person?”

“Nah, he was outta line.”

“See? Sandra was way out of line, too. And all the others that were there know that and told the police that she was actually the aggressor. We're gonna get through this, baby. It'll be fine. Right now, we just need to get that funeral for your Pa underway. Okay?”

“That ain't until Monday.” 

“I know, but there are still a lot of things to be done.”

“Think anyone else is even gonna show up?” Daryl asked her with sad eyes. He just didn't get why he was so damn sad about his bastard father passing. It was pissing him off that he cared to so much, that he actually wanted him to have a proper funeral.

“I don't know, honey. But all of us are gonna be there for you. Now, I know you hate shopping for clothes, but we need to get you a shirt for Monday. Maybe a tie, too.” Teddy started rattling off what errands they would have to run, with Daryl just nodding his consent, he was barely listening. All he could do was look at his girlfriend and let the fear of losing her wash over him.

######## ######## ####### ####### ######## ########

Daryl was surprised when a few people did show up for Will's funeral. Will's brothers came with their wives and Daryl's cousins. A couple of guys Daryl recognized as old drinking buddies of Will's and some of the waitresses he'd kept close to scratch his itch from time to time. What meant the most to Daryl, though, was that Teddy, Billy, their parents and even Maggie had come to support him. Gerald had extended the lunch break and kept the practice closed for an hour longer than usual, so he could be there for his potential son-in-law. What surprised Daryl the most, was that Merle showed up, too. He kept his distance, standing as far away as he could while still be able to listening to the reverend talk, but he was there, paying his respects or whatever the hell he was doing.

Daryl hid his eyes behind his dark sunglasses. He didn't want anyone to see tear up a little when they lowered the coffin into the ground. He clutched Teddy's hand hard and kept her close by his side all throughout the service and even when people walked up to him, shaking his hand, clapping him on the shoulder and offering their condolences. 

“Come on, sweetie. Let's go home and have a meal together. You look so thin, you need to eat.” Bernadette said while she hugged Daryl again when the last person had left. Well, not the last person. Over the top of Bernadette's head Daryl saw Merle approaching with a sneer on his face.

“Oh isn't this a pretty picture. Darylina surrounded by his new loved ones. Or should I say, by her new owners? Look at cha. All dressed up. I'm surprised they didn't put a pink ribbon in yer hair, too.”

“It's a funeral, Merle. We just buried our father. We ain't got no parents no more now. Ya get that?”

“Pfff, ya act like they ever loved ya. They didn't give a shit about us and ya know it. He don't deserve you dressing up for him. Should piss on his fucking grave, that's what we should do.”

“You're out of line, son.” Gerald warned him and took a step forward to stand in front of Daryl, as if trying to shield him from his brother's viciousness.

“I ain't yer son. And neither is he. Y'all can't make him one of yers. He's a Dixon. A piss poor redneck.”

“He might be a Dixon, but he IS one of us. He is part of this family and no amount of vile things spewing from your mouth will change that.” Gerald told him in his no-nonsense manner. “Now, we always have room at the table for one more, it's up to you to decide whether you want a place next to your brother or not. If you do, you will have to earn it. I won't have you there if you keep putting your brother down like this.”

“Keep yer damn place. Ain't interested. I ain't a charity case. Ya know, little brother... ya used to call people like them pussies and sheep and now look at ya. All huddled up in the middle of the herd. Protected by Momma and Daddy Sheep.”

“I said what you wanted me ta say. I never meant any of it. Just said what ya wanted ta hear to stay out of trouble. You say ya care, but ya never did. Beat me up, just like he did.” Daryl pointed at the fresh grave. “I ain't leaving ya ta rot, as ya put it. Nobody is. All ya need to do is put in a little effort. Keep yer head down and adjust. But ya can't. All ya care about is what is comfortable for YOU. If ya wanna keep doin' it like that, fine, go ahead. But then keep the fuck out of ma life.” Daryl had heard enough, he just wanted to get away from the cemetery and away from Merle and everything he represented. “Come on.” he tugged on Teddy's hand and led the way towards the cars. 

Merle just stood there, snorting derisively while he watched the group leave. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew that he had lost. Daryl had his head way too far up Daddy Robertson's ass to care about his older brother anymore. It sickened him and if it wouldn't get him thrown back into jail he would grab Daryl and beat some sense into him. Make him see that he's wrong and show him where he really belongs: Back with Merle in their own little, shitty apartment and play 'the Dixons against the rest of the world'. They had turned his baby brother into a spoiled little brat and even though Merle had lost this round, he wouldn't give up playing yet.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The day after the funeral Teddy and Daryl were curled up on their couch at night. They were wearing their oldest and comfiest sweatpants and t-shirts, the chocolate-colored blanket made out of soft and warm micro fleece, was just covering their bare feet, so they wouldn't get cold. Teddy liked to crank up the A/C, because she liked cuddling up the her own personal furnace called Daryl and enjoy his warmth without sweating her ass off. It was the first week of August in Georgia, after all. Opening your eyes in the morning made you sweat. Teddy was comfortably trapped between the back of the couch and Daryl, laying on her side, her head nestled in the crook of his neck, one leg curled over his, her hand petting Roxy's head, which rested on Daryl's stomach. Daryl was playing with Teddy's hair. It was so long now, she kept sitting on it. She said she'd have it cut in the next couple of days and Daryl was silently saying goodbye with his fingers. His other hand was petting the other girl in his life. Roxy had her eyes closed, blissfully sighing at having both, her beloved Daddy and her Momma, lavish attention on her.

Teddy had popped a CD into the DVD-player earlier (she didn't own a CD-player anymore) and Daryl had frowned when he had heard the music start to play. It had sounded like classical music and he really wasn't into that. Teddy had grinned at him, asking him to give it a try. It was classical music with a twist.

“The band is called Apocalyptica. They are famous for playing Metallica songs with just four cellos. Give it a chance.”

Enter Sandman had been the first song and although it took some getting used to, Daryl had to admit that it wasn't half bad. He found himself relax and tap his fingers on top of Roxy's back occasionally. They didn't talk for a long while. The three of them just snuggled and listened to the music and enjoyed being close, forgetting about all the crap that was going on in their lives right now. It must have been close to an hour of silence between them until Daryl's voice caught her attention.

“Tell me something about ya I don't know yet.”

“Like what?” Teddy craned her head up to look at him, making Daryl's heart swell in his chest when she gave him that smile she only reserved for him. It wasn't her big, bright and radiant smile, this one was smaller and way more intimate somehow, her eyes held that expression of adoration for him, making him wonder how on earth he had gotten her to adore HIM of all people. He'd only ever seen her give HIM that smile, so to him it was special and heartwarming.

“Anythin'.” he shrugged, not really caring what it would be, as long as he would learn more about her.

“Alright, let's see.” She bit her lip in concentration while she tried to think of something. Daryl watched her with a little smile of his own on his lips. She was so goddamn cute. “I once won second place in a drawing competition in third grade.”

“Really?” his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Ya can draw?”

“Hell no. It was like fingerpaint or something. I don't even know why I got second place. The local bank had some kind of environment thing going on and started this competition, asking schools to have their students submit drawings and paintings with an environmental theme. There were a bunch of schools participating, I was really surprised to have won something.”

“What did ya draw?”

“I don't even remember. All I remember is that there was a sun on it. It really wasn't anything special, I still remember that I really hadn't put anything special on it. I think it was just the sun and a bunch of flowers or something. That's why I was so surprised that it won second place. I got to go to the bank and they took our picture and put it in the paper and the prize was a mini-greenhouse for the windowsill and a couple packets of seeds. Was kinda cool.” she grinned, remembering how excited she had been about winning an actual prize back then.

“Picture in the paper, huh? Did anyone even see yer face with that wild perm you were sportin' when ya were little?” Daryl teased her and tickled her ribs. Bernadette had shown him photo albums of Teddy's and Billy's childhood. Teddy had had the wildest hair he had ever seen on anyone that age.

“I did not have a perm, Daryl Dixon!” she mock-scolded him while she squirmed away from his fingers that were tickling her. “I just have really curly hair. You just wait when I cut it, it'll come out more again. I'm sick and tired of blow-drying it straight every couple of days anyway. Takes forever. Might just walk around looking like a mop for a while.”

“I don't mind.” Daryl grinned and threaded both his hands into her hair now, bunching it in his fists and tugging it a little. “It's fucking sexy all wild. I love it that way. Wild mane like a lion. Ma hot little wildcat. Suits ya.” he grinned broadly, showing off his fangs again, making Teddy giggle.

“So we're lions now? You got the hair and the fangs... guess it makes sense.”

“Yeah. It does.” He pulled her face up to meet his and kissed her lovingly. A soft and tender press of lips, their tongues meeting and caressing each other briefly. He kissed the tip of her nose after breaking the kiss and looked down at her with a smile, his curiosity not satisfied yet. “So what else? Tell me more.”

“Mmmm, let's see,... I used to play ping-pong for a year or two. And I was really good. Regional champion runner-up.”

“Already knew that. I cleaned out your closet, remember? Found the trophies in a box.”

“Right. I never made first place for anything. Came close a couple of times but never really got it. But that's okay. Leaves something for me to achieve later in life. Be the best at something.”

“Yer the best girlfriend.” Daryl smirked, making Teddy shake her head vehemently.

“Nope, I'm not. Too jealous to be the best. Also, you don't really have another point of reference.” she pointed out to him.

“True. Okay, tell me something else then. Still only told me one thing I didn't know.”

“I hate dancing. I think it's embarrassing. I won't ever do it, especially not in public.”

“What about yer own wedding? Isn't that what your s'pposed ta do at the party? First dance or something?”

“Yes, but I won't even do it then. I swear, if I would be standing in front of a firing squad and the only way to save my life would be to dance in public with somebody else or alone or whatever, I would beg for a blindfold and ask them to get it over with. I would not dance. Ever.” Daryl's chest was rumbling with laughter. He wasn't the dancing kind either, but he never expected this strong opinion toward dancing from a woman.

“That bad, huh?”

“Oh yeah. I'm like a guy in that department. Now it's your turn. What's something I don't know about you?” Teddy asked him and looked up at him curiously. Daryl looked into her eyes and cradled her jaw in his left hand, letting his thumb rub over he cheek, like she often did to him.

“That I love you.” he stated quietly, watching a big smile spread Teddy's lips.

“You're gonna have to go again, because I already knew that.” she told him while she leaned up and kissed his lips gently.

“Yeah? Ya did?”

“Yes. You show me every day. So tell me something else.”

“I don't wanna live here anymore.” he said with a deep sigh. Teddy's eyes narrowed, her brows furrowing when she looked up at him again.

“What do you mean? Here? This apartment, or-”

“No, no, not the apartment.” he quickly clarified. “Well, kinda. I just don't wanna live in this fucking town anymore. It really is like goddamn poison. I'll never be anything but a fucked up Dixon here. And you won't be anything but the slut that fucks the screw-up Dixon. Ain't my own words, obviously.”

“I would hope not.” Teddy deadpanned, before Daryl continued.

“Maybe as soon as I get released, we should pack up and get outta here. Start fresh somewhere else.”

“Baby, stop acting like you're going to jail.”

“I will. This is taking far too long. It's been almost a week.”

“This is not the only case they have, they have to go through all the statements and shit... it takes time.”

“Yeah.” Daryl trailed off and stared at the ceiling for a minute. “Can't do it anyway. Move away. Your job's here. My job's here. Or not...” he trailed off again, remembering that Mike might let him go after all that's gone down. He wasn't allowed to go to work until the investigation was completed, because he wasn't allowed to have any contact with his accuser. Billy had told Daryl that the guys were putting pressure on Mike to let Sandra go, though, because she was the one who'd fucked everything up. It felt nice to have everybody stick up for him, but who knew if it would actually help.

“It's all gonna work out. It always does.” Teddy muttered and rubbed her hand over his chest in an attempt to relax him again.

“Just all this waiting... never been good at it.”

“Doesn't hunting consist of mostly waiting?”

“That's different. Fuck I could use a good hunt. I'm going out of ma damn mind.” he groaned and rubbed his face hard in frustration. His whole body was a bundle of pent-up tension and it had just kept building up over the past one and a half weeks. This was their first quiet night with just the two of them since before Teddy left for Austin. 

“You need to blow off some steam, hm? I think I can help with that.” She grinned against his neck, her hand sliding down towards the waistband of his sweatpants. 

“Roxy, bed.” Daryl pointed towards her bed in the corner of the living room. Roxy got up and jumped off the couch with a sound of displeasure, but she trudged towards her bed anyway. Daryl was practicing commands they learned at dog obedience school with her constantly and she was a fast and eager learner. She knew she'd get a reward later.

“Shit.” he groaned when she threaded her fingers through his pubic hair, tugging gently, sending bolts of lust shooting through his groin. She loved doing that. Some nights on the couch when they were watching TV she would just play around and stroke her fingers through his patch of hair down there until he couldn't take it anymore and damn near attacked her. “Been way too long, girl.”

“Tell me about it.” she said between placing hot open-mouthed kisses on his neck while her hand slowly pumped his hardening length. “How do you want it, baby?”

“Suck me off. Want yer mouth.” he groaned deeply, following up with a promise. “Gonna fuck ya into the damn mattress later. Gotta let the neighbors know that we're still here.”

“Yeah, we've spared them long enough.” Teddy giggled while she sat up on her knees and pulled him up so she could get rid of his shirt. His sweatpants soon followed and Teddy wasted no time in going to work. She traced her tongue along his shaft from bottom to top, making him hiss by swirling her tongue over his swollen tip. She wrapped her hand around him again, enjoying the solid weight of him in her palm. “Damn baby, you're throbbing already.”

“Yeah. Like I said, been too long. No teasin', ya hear?” he told her while he buried his hands in her hair.

“No teasing, I promise.” she knew that he wasn't in the mood for playing around. He needed release, plain and simple, and she was more than happy to oblige. She licked over the head once more before she wrapped her lips around him, making him groan in pleasure when she started sucking and bobbing her head, caressing him with her tongue, while her hands worked his shaft and his balls. His hands tightened their hold on her hair and started guiding her head, showing him what he needed.

“Fuck,... that's it babe, don't stop doing that.” he growled when she had found the perfect rhythm. She was alternating between rolling his balls in her palm and tugging on them a little and the combination of that and having her mouth on his dick, using just the right amount of suction, had him sweating and fighting against the urge to pump his hips up in no time. She hummed around him, sending pleasant vibrations along his dick and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold his orgasm back for long. Her enthusiasm to do this for him always added to the experience. She always moaned around him like he was the best thing she'd ever had in her mouth and it turned him on to no end. 

“Gon' blow, darlin'.” he ground out between clenched teeth when the pressure quickly built. She'd already felt it by his balls drawing up and she quickly used two fingers to push up against that magical spot behind his balls that always made him see stars.

Daryl's eyes squeezed shut tightly, his teeth bared while he pressed his head back into his neck, his hands in her hair tightening into fists, pulling hard on the strands. She had him release a series of quiet whimpers, his hips lifted off the bed, his whole body tensing up like a bow string, ready to fire, perfectly still for a split-second, then his hips stuttered, jerking haphazardly with the force of his orgasm. He wasn't breathing, he wasn't making a single sound. Teddy's gaze flicked up to him while his essence filled her mouth and she knew he was cumming hard, his face contorted in a mask of intense pleasure, holding his breath while he rode it out. Nothing but his hips was moving.

Teddy released him from her mouth, her hand softly stroking him through his aftershocks, her other hand going to his chest. “Breathe, baby!”

That brought Daryl back to planet earth and he gasped heavily, his breathing erratic when he greedily sucked oxygen back into his lungs. His eyes opened for a moment, staring at her unseeingly, before they fell shut again. Teddy smiled and pushed some hair out of his face before she grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to cover his whole body. She knew this time Daryl wouldn't keep his promise. There would be no fucking her into the mattress. He was exhausted, he hadn't slept longer than an hour or two a night for a week. She didn't mind being left wanting for once. Daryl needed his rest and if this had helped to make him go to sleep peacefully, then that was all she needed that night.

####### ######## ####### ######## ######## #######

On Wednesday morning Daryl was left to his own devices again, since Teddy had returned to work the previous day, after her week long absence from the practice. He was just loading the dishwasher with their breakfast dishes when the phone rang. He felt like he was about to pass out when he checked the caller ID and saw that it was the lawyer Bernadette and Gerald had hired for him. This was it. He was gonna tell him that cops were on their way to arrest him. His hand was shaking when he pressed the green button to accept the call and lifted the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” 

“Am I speaking to Mr Daryl Dixon?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah good, this is Matthew Wisenhunt, the law-”

“I know who ya are.” Daryl interrupted him nervously. 

“Okay. The reason for my call is that I just got off the phone with the Pickens County Sheriff's Department. I called them for an update on your case and I am happy to be able to inform you, that they are not going to charge you with anything due to insufficient evidence. Everybody they talked to told them that Mrs Dempsey was the aggressor and that you merely defended yourself against her unwanted advances. Medical records also showed that she didn't have a single mark on her.”

“That's it? Nothing's gon' happen? I'm free?” Daryl's heart was slamming against his ribcage in earnest, he was shaking even more now, but purely out of relief.

“Yes, you're a free man. There won't be any charges. You're innocent. If you want I can get in touch with your employer and inform him and ask him how he wants to proceed regarding the delicate situation with you both being employed there.”

“Yeah, might not be a bad idea.” Daryl agreed. He hoped he would be able to keep his job. Even though he'd been acquitted now, people knew about the accusations and getting hired somewhere else would be a bitch.

“I will do that then and contact you as soon as I know what's going to happen. Congratulations Mr. Dixon. Have a nice day. Go and celebrate with your loved ones.”

“Ya can bet yer ass I will.” Daryl told the man, who chuckled in return. They said their goodbyes and Daryl tossed the phone on the kitchen counter. He paced the kitchen for a while, rubbing his face with his hands, trying to process everything. He stopped in front of the fridge, with his face still buried in his hands he leaned his head against the cool metal of the fridge and released a deep shaky breath. “Thank fucking God.”

As soon as he had regained his composure he got dressed and put Roxy in her harness. He couldn't wait until lunch break to tell Teddy, he had to tell her now. So off he went and arrived at the practice 20 minutes later. He had to fight off a grin when he remembered the last time he'd been here. It had been the night of the party when Teddy had stitched him up. It had practically been the start of their relationship and he would never ever forget it. Almost 6 whole months had passed since that night, they had been officially dating for almost 4 months now. It was weird, it felt like 4 days and then again like 4 years to Daryl. Time had passed so quickly, but at the same time he felt like they've been together forever. Funny how that worked.

“Hey. I wanna see Teddy real quick when she's free.” he told Judy after stepping up to the receptionist's desk. 

“She's free right now, just go on in.” Judy smiled at him. They had never been formally introduced, but she had lived in Jasper all her life, she knew who the Dixons were and even if she didn't, the dog would have given it away. Gerald and Teddy had showed her pictures.

“That way, right?” Daryl asked, pointing to his right.

“Exactly. Second door on the right.” Judy confirmed, pointing towards it from where she sat. Daryl nodded a thank you and walked towards it. Knocking once before going in.

Teddy looked up when the door opened and couldn't have been more surprised when she saw her boyfriend enter her office. 

“Honey? What are you doing here? Did you hurt yourself?” she got up and rounded her desk with a concerned look on her face. Daryl couldn't help his face-splitting smile, he had never been more relieved in his life.

“I'm fine. Better than that actually. Lawyer called like half an hour ago. There ain't gon' be no charges. The whole thing is over.” he told her quickly and pulling her into his arms. 

“Oh thank God.” Teddy breathed and pressed herself against him, hiding her face in his chest to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. It was futile though, Daryl was able to read her like an open book and the little shake of her body told him enough.

“I knew ya were worried, too.” he told her while he hugged her to him. “No matter how often ya told me that ya weren't, I still knew. But thanks for staying strong for the both of us.” he tilted her face up by pushing his index finger against her chin and kissed her hard.

“You got it. Thank God, now we can finally get back to our lives without all this goddamn worrying. You can finally sleep better again.”

“Hell yeah. Gonna take the mother of all naps after this.” he chuckled. 

“Yeah you do that. I'm gonna let the family know, okay? Or you wanna do it yourself?”

“Nah, I just wanna sleep until family dinner tonight.” he grinned. “We're still on for that right? Actually looking forward to it.”

“You ALWAYS look forward to it, you don't have any of us fooled there.” Teddy grinned and poked him in the stomach.

“Shit, that predictable, huh? I'm losin' ma touch.”

“No, not at all. You still got it. But you should see yourself when you sit at that table, watching us all talk and bicker while you eat Rosario's food. Like a kid on Christmas morning.”

“It IS good food.” he grinned with a wink.

“It is.” she smiled and kissed him once more before she put some distance between them. “Now go get out of here. I have work to do. Take your nap, honey.”

Teddy ushered him out and then saw her next patient before she went to tell her father the good news. They called her mother together and Teddy had to fight her tears again, when she heard her mother's voice break when she heard that Daryl would not be prosecuted for shoving Sandra. She was crying tears of happiness and it once again reminded Teddy how funny it was, how much her family had fallen in love with Daryl. If you would have told Bernadette six months ago that she would one day cry happy tears because Daryl Dixon WASN'T going to jail, she would have had you committed to a looney bin. All it had taken was for them to let go of their prejudices and give him a real chance. Once single meeting had been enough and he'd had them wrapped around his little finger. Especially her mother. Her father had taken slightly longer to come around, but now he loved him like Daryl was his own. He'd done everything to make sure Daryl would never know how horribly his father's life had ended and he'd gladly paid big bucks to get the best lawyer this side of Atlanta on board to make sure Daryl would have the best chances should push have come to shove. And if it was what Daryl wanted and what would make him happy, Gerald would even give Merle a chance and include him in the family, but the older Dixon brother would have to earn that chance first. So far it didn't look like Merle had any particular interest in being in his brother's life. At least not if it was on Daryl's terms.

######## ####### ###### ###### ######## #######

“Uh, got some yard time? Yer bitch lettin' ya out so you can take yer other bitch for a walk?” Daryl rolled his eyes when he heard Merle's voice booming to his right, while he was on his way back home.

“You stalking me or something?” Daryl asked him annoyed.

“Hey, it's a small town and there's nothing much ta do 'round here. We're bound ta run into each other. What cha doin'? Window shoppin'? Looking for the next thing you want her ta buy fer ya? Where's the rest of yer pack? Too busy counting their dollars?”

“What's your fucking problem, Merle? Huh?”

“Ma problem is YOU... turnin' yer back on family. On yer own blood, for THEM.”

“You don't get it, do ya? I ain't turnin' ma back. That's what YOU're doin'. You're getting' chances left and right and all ya do is piss on 'em. Ain't ya tired of this bullshit? Yer 47 fucking years old. Don't ya think it's time ta get a grip on yer life? Get a job, be able ta pay fer yer own place? Be able ta pay for fucking gas and food? Finally have some kind of family life? The in-laws are good people. They fucking apologized ta me, they know they were wrong and they ain't ashamed ta admit it to ma face. They don't think they're better than us. They been good ta me and they could be good ta you, too. All ya need ta do is make an effort, finally getting clean and staying that way. Try ta fit in a little, adjust. But no, that would take work, right? Because they ain't willin' to bow down ta King Merle, they are assholes, right? Nah, you're the asshole here. Always have been. Ain't no one turning their back on ya. They offered you a place at the table. All ya need ta do is be a decent human being for once. I know it's in you. We ain't got no parents no more, Merle. We're the only blood we got left. You know, ya always talked a big game, but you was never there. Always strung out or in jail. I always fended for maself, then I dropped everything and walked away from what I had as soon as ya remembered that I still existed. Not this time. Ain't walking away from Teddy. Never. Ya got that?” Daryl had talked himself into a rage, yelling at his brother in the middle of the street. 

“Well, well, well... so ya still have yer balls. I'm impressed.” Merle grinned and licked his teeth.

“Jesus fucking Christ. Did ya even hear anything I said? Do ya even care?”

“Oh I heard ya alright. Ya want us all ta be a big happy family. The Robertson's and their two charity cases.”

“It ain't like that. They ain't 'bout money. They have it, but they don't rub it in yer face all the goddamn time. They are willing to give you a chance. Why is it so fucking hard for you to do the same?” Daryl shook his head in disappointment and started to walk away, knowing that he'd just waste his breath on trying to talk sense into his brother. At least Merle wasn't yelling anything after him. It meant he had given his brother at least a little something to think about. Whether that was a good or a bad thing remained to be seen. Merle for the most part was just surprised. Daryl had learned to stand up straight and to stand up to him. Even though it bothered Merle that he was no longer able to mold his brother to his liking, he was also a little proud. Maybe his brother would turn into a man at last, after all.

######### ######### ######### ######## ########

“There's ma little wildcat.” Daryl grinned upon seeing her when she came into the living room. “You didn't tell me ya were gonna have it cut today.”

“I had it planned for Friday, but you wanted to sleep and I figured this way I was able to give you an hour or two more sleep before I came home and woke you up by making a racket. You like it?”

Daryl nodded while he fisted the wild and wavy strands in his hands. They no longer went down to her ass, but “only” to the underside of her breasts. “It's hot.”

“Thanks. I think I am four pounds lighter now.” she laughed and squealed when Daryl lifted her into his arms, shifting her from side to side a little.

“Hm, feels more like three and a half.” he stated seriously, before a smirk found its way onto his lips at Teddy's laughter.

“You're silly.” she said smilingly and kissed him. “Now let me down. I wanna change before dinner.” 

Daryl put her down on the floor, smacking her ass with a happy grunt, loving the giggle that erupted from her mouth. Teddy had just reached the door to the living room when they heard a knock on the front door. She looked back at Daryl with a frown.

“You expecting somebody?”

“No.” he said and went up to her, staying right behind her when she went to open. They were both relieved to see Billy and Maggie instead of potential bad news.

“Hey you guys. What are you doing here?” Teddy smiled in surprise and hugged her brother and Maggie. “Is there no dinner tonight?”

“There is. We just wanted to stop by and talk to you before we all go over there.” Maggie smiled.

“Oh my God you're getting married!” Teddy exclaimed immediately, stunning all three of them, Daryl, Billy and Maggie. 

“See? I told you she would know right away. I know my sister.” Billy sighed sullenly.

“Yes okay, you were right. You get your reward later.” Maggie laughed and Teddy's jaw dropped to the floor.

“Oh my God. You're serious??? I was totally joking!” She looked questioningly back and forth between the pair until Maggie held up her hand, showing off her beautiful engagement ring. 

“Totally serious.” she grinned happily and started awwww-ing, when she saw the tears in Teddy's eyes.

“Oh my God.” she repeated tearfully, causing Billy to laugh.

“Yeah, you said that... Anything else you wanna say?”

“I'm so happy for you! Oh man, this is awesome. Congratulations you two.” she hugged Maggie hard and then nearly jumped her brother, kissing his cheek before she cradled his face in her hands and gave him a big smile. “Looks like you got some brains in there after all. You're smart not to let this one go.”

Daryl awkwardly stuck his hand out and shook Maggie's hand, while he cleared his throat. “Congrats.” 

“Thank you, Daryl.” Maggie put her free hand on top of his, squeezing it between hers affectionately. He repeated the handshake with Billy and gave him an awkward smile. Billy was too caught up in his happy news to notice Daryl's behavior. He took Maggie's hand and walked with her and Teddy into the kitchen, while Daryl slowly followed them. He felt weird. Inexplicably so. He wouldn't be able to describe it if his life depended on it. Teddy on the other hand looked like she was about to burst like a little firework, she was so happy. Daryl was happy, too, for his friends, but mostly he felt weird. Like a pit in his stomach.

“We wanted you two to be the first to know. We're gonna tell Mom and Dad at dinner. Well actually you are the second group to know. I asked Herschel for permission to marry his daughter, so they already know.” Billy told them with a beaming smile that mirrored that of his twin sister.

“You did??? Oh geez, that is so cute. Didn't know you were so traditional.” Teddy grinned.

“Well, it's not really me, but I know that her family values those kind of traditions and so does she, so I wanted to do right by her and by them.”

“My dad said, that Billy was so visibly nervous that he looked like he was about to faint and that it kind of told him what Billy wanted to ask. But he really appreciated Billy doing it.” Maggie smiled proudly and squeezed her fiancé's hand. 

“Amazing. I'm really happy for you. Do you have anything in mind yet? Like when you wanna do it or are you not stressing out about it and want a long engagement?” Teddy asked, buzzing with excitement.

“Actually, we're gonna get married pretty quick.” Maggie said. “After all, I wanna look pretty on my wedding day and fit into a normal dress.”

Teddy almost fell off her chair, a fresh batch of tears flowing freely over her cheeks. “No way... You're pregnant?”

“Yeah... we found out on Monday... but of course it wasn't the right time to say anything. We wanted to wait with everything until we knew about what would happen with the investigation. It's still pretty new,... I just took a home test. It would be great if you could confirm it?” Maggie asked carefully, not knowing if it would be weird to ask her sister-in-law to do that.

“Yeah of course. Just come in when you find the time.” Teddy sobbed, barely able to talk. Daryl looked at her concerned and gently touched her back.

“You okay?” he figured the baby news might be too much for her. That it somehow hurt her.

“I'm fine. I'm just so happy. My God,... Billy, you're gonna be a daddy. You are gonna be so awesome, you were so great with Milo. Oh my God, Mom and Dad are gonna pee themselves when you tell them. Uuuuhh, I'm gonna be an aunt. Daryl, babe, you're gonna be an uncle!!! Auntie Teddy and Uncle Daryl, shit I love it. We'll babysit any time!”

“Gosh, you're gonna have to fight over this baby with all the other babysitters that already volunteered. I know we weren't supposed to say anything until I'm three months along, but I just couldn't help it. I had to tell my sister and then my brother and my dad. They are all so excited and offered to babysit whenever we needed a sitter.”

“Yeah, our parents are sure as hell gonna volunteer as well. You'll have trouble choosing one when the time comes. But that's good, better than not having a sitter at all. You know it could be twins right?” Teddy teased and laughed out loud at Maggie's startled expression.

“That hadn't even crossed my mind. That's a scary thought.” Maggie laughed.

“Don't worry about it. Like you said, you have so much help, you'd probably be able to rock triplets without much trouble.”

“Teddy Robertson, you stop that right now.” Maggie scolded her smilingly. “It's not nice to scare a pregnant lady.”

“I'm just teasing. But it could happen.”

Teddy hugged the now engaged AND expecting couple again, while Daryl offered his “congrats” again. They were just chattering on and on, not noticing the frown Daryl sported the entire time. He was still sporting it over dinner at her parents' house, but still nobody noticed, everybody was busy crying and being happy. Even Gerald cried and kept hugging and kissing on the two and Bernadette had Rosario bring them a bottle of champagne to celebrate this day full of good news. Daryl wouldn't be charged with assault and battery and there would be two official additions to the Robertson family: Maggie and the baby. It was a joyous occasion and once again, Daryl was very happy for the two of them and for the grandparents-to-be, but then again, there was this feeling inside of him that he couldn't shake.

He just felt weird.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Daryl thought that his slightly subdued mood had gone unnoticed by everybody, but it hadn't. While everybody else chalked it up to him being emotionally drained and exhausted from the past week's events, Teddy knew that wasn't it. Or at least she strongly suspected it.

“You're sad.” she stated, while they laid in bed later that night. She gently pushed some hair out of his eyes, stroking her fingertips over his forehead and temple lovingly. Their cooling bodies were entangled in the sheets and entangled in each other, a post-coital calm settling over them.

Daryl began chewing on his lip and looked down, away from her knowing gaze. Was he sad? He hadn't been able to name the feeling that had settled itself over him earlier, but now that she had provided a name for it, he realized that it was exactly what he was. 

He shrugged and shook his head awkwardly, telling her that she was right, but that he did not know what to say. He felt silly for feeling the way he did, but he couldn't help it. He was happy for Maggie and Billy, he truly was, but he was sad that it wasn't him and Teddy, and that it probably never was going to be them. 

“Do you really want a child that much?” Teddy asked softly, deep down pretty sure that she already knew the answer.

“Some day, yeah. It's a dream.” he said and stared at the ceiling after untangling from her and turning on his back. “Having a real family. One of the things I always wanted. Never thought I'd get it. Then you came along. Got ma hopes up,... “

“I want to give you the world Daryl. I want to give you everything you ever wished for and make you the happiest man alive. That you are happy is the most important thing in the world to me these days. I would do anything,... I would give anything... but this? I don't know if I will ever be able to give you a child, Daryl”

“You said you might change yer mind.” he reminded her of what she had told him, the night he had found the box with Milo's things.

“I did. I am going to be completely honest with you. I would love to have one with you. I'm so in love with you, I don't think you have any idea how much. I would love to go the whole nine yards and get married one day and have a baby one day, have it grow up with Roxy and the cat we'll be getting soon, in a house in the woods that you built for us, just like you always wanted to... but I just don't know if I'll ever be emotionally ready and if I'll ever get over these fears I have of losing another child.”

“How fucking likely would that even be? That it's gon' happen again?” Daryl asked her and expected a serious answer. He was fired up. She had admitted that she wanted a kid with him, it was just her fears holding her back. That he could work with.

“Not, too likely I guess, but it's not just that it could die like Milo did, Daryl. So much can happen during pregnancy already. I could have a miscarriage, it could be stillborn. It could have a birth defect, be sick it's whole short life before it died. He or she could be fine for years, could turn 14, 30 or freaking 45 without incident, but then out of the blue get sick or get hit by a car or whatever and die. I don't know if I can live with that fear for the rest of my life Daryl. I know every parent has those fears to some extent, but I already lived through it, the fear is a million times worse, because I know how much it hurts. I'm scared that once we have a baby, that I'll be afraid of living. That I'll only feel good if I keep that child locked up in a room with me where I can watch it 24/7.” Teddy had started out calm and collected, but the more she talked, the more frantic she got when all the various images and scenarios went through her head.

“You're already afraid of livin', Teddy.” Daryl told her and took hold of her hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand soothingly. “You're already afraid. You want a family, too, but those fears keep ya from having one, because you're scared of losing it again. So that reasoning don't make no sense. It's already happening, even without havin' a kid. I'm not sayin' we should have a kid tomorrow or next week or next month, we ain't in no rush, but ya should think about what I said. Yer already keepin' yerself from livin' the way ya wanna live and according ta you, that ain't the way it's s'pposed ta be. Sometime ya gotta take some chances and some risks, face yer fears. Ain't that worth it when it can give ya what ya want most in life?”

“Usually I would agree with you, Daryl, but this is different.”

“No, it really ain't. Yer makin' it different.” he sighed and raked his hands through his hair in frustration while he stared back at the ceiling for a moment, trying to find his next words. “Every day millions of couples have kids and everything's fine. Why should that kind of shit happen to you twice? Really? What are the damn odds of that happening twice? Have a kid die on you way before its time?”

“I know what you're saying Daryl. Really, I do. And I know the odds are probably in our favor,-”

“Exactly. It would be fine. And even if it wouldn't be, we got each other. As long as we stick together we can live through anythin'. Just think about it again. Don't dismiss it again right away, saying you'd be too scared. I already explained yer whole reasoning away within two fucking minutes. Ya just gotta jump. Ya know it would be worth it. Like I said, not tomorrow, not next month, but some day. Ya don't have ta be scared. I'm with ya. I'll jump with ya and hold yer hand doin' it and I won't let go, no matter if we land on our feet or if we crash to the ground and crush every single bone in our body. I can promise ya that.”

Teddy's bottom lip quivered and she quickly wiped away a tear that had spilled out of her right eye. “Now look, you and your stupid redneck romance made me cry.”

“Just think about it, 'kay? Take yer time.” he said and kissed the knuckles of her hand.

“Okay, I will.” she leaned over him and kissed him affectionately.

“Good. Now let's sleep. It's after midnight and you need to get up at six. Yer cranky when ya don't get enough sleep.” Daryl reached over and turned of the lamp on the nightstand, while Teddy rolled over on her side.

“Who isn't cranky when they're tired?” she murmured and buried the side of her face into her pillow while Daryl's hand found its way to its usual spot on her butt.

“True.” he yawned, before they fell silent and soon drifted off to sleep.

######## ######## ####### ######## #########

Maggie came in two days later on Friday afternoon to have Teddy confirm the pregnancy. She had Maggie give her a urine sample, then she took some blood and examined her, before she did an internal ultrasound. Maggie looked anxiously back and forth between the monitor and Teddy who was narrowing her eyes while she looked at the screen, highly focused on the image that was displayed. 

“Your ovaries look good,... now let's see,... sorry I know it isn't the most comfortable thing in the world.” Teddy apologized while she pushed the ultrasound transducer a little harder against her cervix. 

“That's okay.” Maggie breathed deeply. She was nervous, so far Teddy hasn't let anything on about the test result. Teddy worked some buttons on the ultrasound machine and then turned the screen towards Maggie.

“Congratulations, Ms Greene. There's your baby.” she smiled brightly and pointed it out to her future sister-in-law. Maggie's eyes started to water and the smile she sported was so big that it looked like it hurt.

“Oh my God, it's so tiny.”

“It is, but trust me, there will come the day you will wish it would still be this small. Here, that's the left arm and a little leg. And there's the heart, you can see it beat.”

“No way. Wow. Can I hear it?”

“It's still too early for that, but probably during the next one. You are measuring at 8 weeks and 3 days today, so let's try it again in two weeks. I'll print you a picture. Everything looks great so far, you can get dressed and then we'll talk about what's next.” Teddy smiled and withdrew the ultrasound transducer from inside Maggie and threw the protective latex sheath into the trash bin. 

“This is so exciting. Is it weird that I already feel fat?”

“No, not at all. When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately thought people would be able to tell right away, that I was already showing. A lot of women feel like that.” Teddy grinned, still remembering vividly how excited she had been when she had finally started to show.

“And when can I find out the sex of the baby? Soon? I definitely wanna know.”

“That's gonna take another 2 months. Between 16-20 weeks of pregnancy is your best bet. Alright, here's your picture. Your estimated due date is the 20th of May. You're lucky, you won't have to be in the end stages of pregnancy when it's super duper hot outside. But you know what? You are 9 weeks along already. You don't have that long anymore before you'll start to show, so the whole wedding dress thing... You might have to reconsider or plan like the wind.”

“Plan like the wind it is.” Maggie laughed. “So anything I have to watch out for now?” 

Maggie soon wished she hadn't asked as Teddy handed her list after list and pamphlet after pamphlet of foods and activities and other things she should avoid. She also recommended prenatal vitamins and some ways that might help Maggie alleviate that morning sickness. 

“We can still have sex, right?” Maggie asked last but not least.

“Everything looks great, so if you feel like it, screw your brains out. I'll call when the test results for your blood work are back, but only if there's something out of the ordinary.”

“Sounds good. Alright, I'll be on my way then. Tell Gerald I said hi.”

“Oh he's not here, he left early. Feels a bit under the weather and had a migraine.”

“Oh, poor guy. Those are awful. But not surprising is it? It is so damn hot out there today, the sun really hurts your eyes.”

“Oh yeah, I really miss the Seattle weather, I swear to God I would kill for a week of rain.”

“Well you and Billy are gonna have it soon for a couple of days when you go there for Milo's birthday.”

“Oh you're right. Hadn't thought about that just now.”

“Okay, then if Gerald's not here, say hi to Daryl and I'll see you next week.”

“You will. Bye Maggie and baby.” Teddy gave a little wave while Maggie was on her way out and once the door closed she clapped her hands happily. She was beyond happy for Maggie and her brother and she was really excited to be a part of it and be able to help Maggie with her pregnancy.

Daryl and Roxy picked her up a couple of hours later and together they strolled through town hand in hand, stopping for ice-cream on their way home. Daryl had good news to share, he would be able to return to work on Monday and Sandra had been let go due to repeatedly harassing a co-worker. Things would finally completely go back to normal and Daryl would no longer go stir-crazy at home and screw the living bejesus out of Teddy twice a night to get rid of all this excess energy he had due to not working. Daryl was always moving and had tons of nervous energy and physical labor helped him cope with that. With that being gone it was Teddy who took the brunt of it. Gladly at first, but she had been starting to get kinda sore in the past two days.

They saw Merle across the street and Daryl just nodded a greeting his way and kept on walking home with Teddy. The older Dixon brother had watched them walk down the street before they had noticed him and he had to admit that his little brother had definitely changed. He was standing up straight and walking with his head held high. Some guys sitting outside of the bistro had checked out Teddy and earned a hard stare from Daryl. Even though he'd been wearing sunglasses, it had been clear that he meant business and the guys had wiped their sleazy smiles off their faces. Other than that Daryl really seemed happy. They were talking animatedly and smiling a lot. At one point Daryl had laughed and playfully dodged a swat from Teddy. Yep, his baby brother was definitely head over heels in love and the girl looked like it was the same for her. Jealousy wormed its way through every fiber of Merle's body. He was jealous that Daryl had managed to achieve getting a normal life. Good thing that his big brother would be around more often again to make sure that Daryl got a reality check every now and then, he thought to himself before he headed back inside the bar.

########## ######### ######## ######## ##########

The next morning Teddy was still fast asleep when Daryl came out of the bathroom after relieving himself. He was just about to climb back into back when he heard Teddy emit a low moan. All his senses were immediately on alert and his sharp eyes started scanning her body. He didn't have to let his gaze travel too far and a wolfish grin spread on his lips when he noticed her hard nipples poking through the thin white top she wore. He carefully slid back under the covers, fighting the temptation to slide his hand under that top of hers and cup one of those soft mounds in his palm, let his thumb rub over the hardened peak and squeeze the soft flesh with his hand until she arched her back up against him. Today was not the day for that. He knew she was getting very close to her period and while it made her a little hornier than usual, it also often caused her nipples to tighten and stiffen so much that it actually hurt a bit. He fucking loved the feel of her rock hard nipples against his fingers or his tongue, and his mouth watered like crazy looking at them now, but he knew if he'd go near them, especially with his fingers, she would hiss and just swat him away. He'd have to content himself with looking at them for now, maybe she would let him play with his tongue a little when he'd gotten her off. 

With careful and precise movements he pulled the covers away from her body and piled them at the foot of their bed. Next he opened the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out his trusty buck knife he always kept there, just in case they'd get a “visitor” at night, and quickly sliced through the fabric of her panties on both sides of her hips. After putting the knife back in its usual spot he only had to pull the little triangle of black cotton away from her body to bare her to his hungry eyes. 

Daryl unconsciously licked his lips when he had dropped the front part of her now shredded panties between her thighs, a shudder of anticipation running through him as his eyes took her in. This was his time to get his fill and really look at her and memorize every little detail about her most intimate body part. Even after all these months she still blushed and got a little bit uncomfortable when he looked at her longer than necessary. He thought it was cute and he always told her so, right before he went to town and played her like a fiddle. 

His fingers slid through her dark pubic hair, resting them there while he used his thumb to trace the upper portion of her slit, seeking out her clit. He grinned again when he felt her swollen already.

'Gotta be one hell of a dream', he thought and shifted so he could lay down between her legs, one of them hooked over his left shoulder for better access. He pressed his nose against her mound first, breathing in her scent that always caused a sharp pull of lust within his groin. He ground his swelling dick against the mattress at the same time as his tongue moved out from between his lips and lapped at her clit with one long, slow stroke. Teddy still hadn't woken up, she really slept like the dead, she only shifted a little when Daryl caught the swollen bud between his teeth gently and rubbed the tip of his tongue in languid circles. When he started sucking, giving her nice and wet, hard pulls with his mouth, her breathing finally picked up and the sound of another moan drifted into his ear. 

But her moans were soon drowned out by the sounds he was making as soon as he'd let his thumb take over playing with her clit and had moved his lips further down to push his tongue into her opening as deeply as he could. 

“Mmmmmm,... mmm,... mmmmmmm...” his grunts sounded like he'd found the most delicious thing on earth and in his mind, he had. 

Teddy's eyes snapped open, a gasp being torn from her mouth while she blinked, trying to get her vision to focus and her sleep-muddled brain to understand what was happening. She lifted her head and when she saw Daryl's dark head of hair between her legs, the pleasure he was causing finally actively registered and felt like it was attacking and rushing her like a football player out on the field. Air rushed out of her lungs when his thumb rubbed her just the right way, pleasurable heat spreading out from her center all throughout her body. 

“Shit, baby. Don't stop. Please don't fucking stop. So good.” she whispered breathlessy as her hand found its way into his hair, fisting it between her fingers, her tugging on the soft strands causing him to groan even louder against her sensitive flesh. “Oh God, close!” she moaned a moment later and pushed up on her feet, grinding her pelvis against his face while his thumb rubbed her with swift strokes up and down. Another moment later her breath hitched sharply and she stopped breathing for a couple of seconds before she flew right over the edge and convulsed around his tongue, his name a broken whisper while her body shook.

Daryl had to remove his tongue faster than he'd wanted, but he was close to suffocating. His erratic breathing matched hers when he crawled up her body, hovering over her on all fours. He grasped her chin in his hand and pulled her face towards his, his tongue slipping out of his mouth and right into hers, sharing her own taste with her while their tongues tangled. Soon, his need was throbbing painfully between his own legs, begging for release. 

“Jerk me off?” he knew she needed a break from fucking and he didn't want her to start hurting for real. “I'd take care of it maself, but yer so fucking good at tug jobs, darlin'.” he groaned against her jaw where he was busy nipping his was to her ear.

“Want it with lube? Or just like this?” she asked with a throaty, low voice while her fingernails lightly and teasingly raked down over his chest and sides and along his loins before stopping right at the base of his dick, that gave two big jumps when she came in contact with it.

“Just like this. Hard'n fast, babe. Ain't gon' be long anyway.” he rasped against her ear before sucking the lobe between his lips.

Teddy wrapped one hand around his shaft tightly, knowing when he wanted hard and fast, he enjoyed rougher and firmer touches. Her other hand fondled his balls, making him groan directly into her ear. 

“Gonna cum all over me? Mark me as yours?” Teddy moaned softly while her hands were taking care of him just the way he wanted her to, the hand on his length moving in short and hard jerks that gradually increased in speed.

“Wanna cum on your pussy, darlin'. You gon' let me?”

“Hell yeah. You can do whatever you want, babe. It's all yours.”

“Damn right it's mine. Yer mine. Never gon' be nobody else no more.” he breathed into her ear. He lowered himself on his forearms, one hand threading into her hair at the back of her head, pulling on it and twisting her head to the side. “Fuck, yer so goddamn good at this.” he groaned before his mouth slanted over hers, engaging her in a passionate open-mouthed kiss with their tongues swirling around each other until she felt his balls draw up in her hand and he tore his mouth from hers with a loud groan. Teddy's gaze flicked down between them and she watched him cum with a satisfied smile on her face. She loved giving him hand jobs. She loved feeling his dick spasm against her palm and fingers, while he spurted his seed on her body. 

When she wanted to keep moving her hand to milk him for everything he had, Daryl's hand quickly shot down and grabbed her wrist to hold her still and leaned his forehead against hers while he panted. “Nah, don't. Too much right now.”

“I can make you cum again without touching your cock.” she grinned. Daryl opened his eyes and lifted his head a little to look at her with a curious frown.

“How?”

Teddy didn't say anything, she just grinned and bit her lip while she lifted her hand and wriggled her index finger in front of his face. It took a moment for the penny to drop, but when it did his eyes widened and he actually blushed a little.

“Aw hell no!” he scoffed and let himself fall on his back next to her. “My ass is exit only, woman.”

“Fine.” she giggled and placed a big kiss on his lips before she got off the bed and walked towards the bathroom to take a shower. “But you don't know what you're missing.”

“Pfff, I ain't like that.” he grumbled quietly after the door had closed and grabbed his pack of smokes. Teddy hated when he smoked in the bedroom, but right now he didn't care. She was in the bathroom anyway and his limbs didn't feel like they were ready for him to get up and walk around yet. Only after he had finished his smoke he felt ready to get up and open the window.

“Hey, that mean if I ain't gonna let ya do that ta me, that you won't let me do it ta you?” he asked as soon as Teddy walked out of the bathroom and to her closet to get dressed.

“That what you think?”

“Dunno. That's why I'm asking.”

“I'm not like that, you know that, baby. If you don't wanna do it, because it makes you uncomfortable then we won't do it.”

“Yeah, sure. Ain't worried bout that.” he said and cringed as soon as the words had left his mouth.

“No, of course not.” Teddy had to fight a big grin. She knew he didn't mean for it to come out like that, but she still took the opportunity to fuck with him a little. She put on her seriously pissed off face and turned around to face him. “What you are worried about is me not letting you have my ass. That's all guys ever worry about. Thought you were different.”

She had to turn her back on him again, because she was barely able to fight the laugh that was bubbling up inside of her, especially at seeing Daryl's guilty and slightly panicked expression.

“Shit, Teddy. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry okay? Don't be mad, it just came out wrong, girl.” he started to apologize profusely while getting out of bed to walk over to her. 

Teddy finally couldn't contain herself anymore and started laughing. “Jesus, relax baby, I'm totally kidding. It's a guy thing. I get it.” she kissed him in passing and winked. “Should have seen your face, though. Come on Roxie, let's go get some breakfast.” Teddy called for their dog so she could put the harness on her.

“Rotten woman.” Daryl narrowed his eyes at her and slowly followed her out of the room and watched her get Roxy ready. “Soooooo,... That mean you ain't opposed or...?”

“Take a shower and get coffee ready. We'll be back in about 20 minutes.” Teddy grinned, before she walked towards the front door with Roxy. She was having way too much fun with this. Daryl was just too cute with being all eager for an answer on that.

“Rotten woman.” he grumbled again, making Teddy laugh on her way out.

“You said that.”

“Yeah, I meant it.” he shouted after her, hearing her giggle before the door fell shut.

######## ######## ######## ######## ######## #######

“Stop it!” Teddy warned Daryl, who was leaning against the kitchen counter, staring at her while he drank some iced tea. 

“Stop what?” 

“I know that look. You're looking at me like you're gonna have me for lunch. Ain't gonna happen, buddy. I love you, but my body needs a break. I was barely able to wash myself without wincing.” she explained while her eyes flicked over the pictures in the paper she was reading.

“Shit. I'm sorry. Didn't mean for it to get that bad.”

“Nah, it's okay. I let you and I enjoyed it, but with that last round this morning I've had about as much as I can take, I'm afraid. I'm starting my period soon anyway. I never thought I would say this, but thank God you're going back to work on Monday. You really do need physical labor to function right.”

“Yeah. Always been like that. Merle always said I was a fidgety fuck. Always been kinda nervous I guess. Need to do something with ma hands to keep me calm.”

“How about we go for a run? That should tire you out a little, right?” Teddy suggested, trying to come up with ways to keep him busy and active.

“Ain't gonna go for no run where everybody can see. Don't got no runnin' shoes neither.” He shot down her proposal, mumbling his words around his thumb, which he was chewing on.

“Okay, how about a little workout? We can do push ups or sit ups and all right here in our living room.”

“That's lame.”

“If you think so.” Teddy shrugged and went back to reading her paper. “Wouldn't have been fun for you anyway. I would have beaten your ass at all of it.” she said casually and hid a smirk when she saw him perk up out of the corner of her eye.

“That a challenge?” he asked with narrowed eyes, taking slow steps towards her.

“More like a fact.” Teddy shrugged nonchalantly.

“Oh really? That so? Ya think you can do more push-ups and sit-ups than me?”

“Wanna bet?” she grinned at him, knowing she had him just where she wanted him. Of course she knew he would win, but that wasn't the point. She just wanted to get him active and get rid of that excess energy of his.

“What do I get when I win?” he asked cockily.

“I think you meant IF you win. Handjob? Blowjob? Your choice.”

“Fine. What do you want IF you win?”

“Cookie dough fudge mint chip and we'll watch Mrs. Doubtfire on DVD.”

“Fine, you're on. Get that ass in the living room.” he grabbed her hands and pulled her up from her chair, smacking her ass while they went over to the other room.

######## ####### ###### ######## #######

Teddy held her own, but of course Daryl won their little contest by a landslide. After that she convinced him to try other stuff, so Daryl ended up bench pressing his own girlfriend, did biceps curls by lifting her and did another 25 push ups with Teddy sitting on his back, before he collapsed on the ground, wonderfully spent and with a satisfying ache throbbing in his arms and torso. Leave it to his woman to know exactly what he'd needed. He hadn't felt this good and relaxed in over a week. Sex was a wonderful way to blow off some steam, but no matter how often they had done it, it had never been physically exhausting enough and his body had kept screaming for more. This was the first time since Teddy had left for Austin, that it had stopped screaming. 

He was still breathing fast, but he had a big, happy smile on his face when Teddy laid on the floor next to him and pushed some sweaty strands of hair out of his eyes. 

“Feel good?”

“Yeah. Kinda wish you woulda come up with that sooner.” he said while he rolled to his side and pulled Teddy closer to him until she was pressed flush against him.

“So do I! You have no idea how much of a turn on that was. That you can do all that. That it actually takes so long for you to reach the point where you can't do any more. You're so fucking strong. All that stamina...” her voice was sultry and her cheeks flushed while she stroked her fingertips over the sweat-slicked skin of his biceps, tracing the prominent vein and the well-defined muscle. 

Before she was able to say more, a strong hand was gripping the back of her neck and Daryl was pushing her on her back. Teddy was about to protest and push him off of her, but Daryl gripped her wrists and looked at her with a smile after breaking the kiss.

“I know, don't worry. Ain't gon' hurt ya. Jus' wanna be with ya like this fer a while. No funny business.” he promised her and Teddy relaxed. Daryl's hand wandered underneath her clothes while he went back to kissing her, but it was only to feel her soft skin and to lavish some gentle attention on her body. They rolled around on the floor, making out like teenagers and enjoying every second of it. Daryl pushed his hands inside her yoga pants, gently rubbing and squeezing her ass before he lightly raked his nails up along the back of her thighs from above her knee all the way up to her butt cheeks.

Goosebumps broke out on her skin and Teddy shuddered and tore herself away from him with a giggle. “Okay, that's enough for now. How about you go take a quick shower to get rid of that sweat and then I'll give you a massage?”

“With a happy ending?” he grinned with a cocked eyebrow.

“You are insatiable, but hey, you did win, so I guess it's in the cards.”

But they didn't get to that part. While Teddy was working her way down his spine after having done his arms and shoulders, there was a knock on the door. Teddy got up to look who it was, while Daryl quickly yanked on a T-shirt.

“Hey, there's ma pretty little sister-in-law.” Merle grinned broadly after Teddy had opened the door. Teddy just kept looking at him, not saying anything and Merle nodded. “Alright, I get it. We didn't get off on the right foot, but I think it ain't too late ta try again, right? Here, a little peace offerin'.” Merle handed her a bunch of white gardenias that looked a lot like they had been plucked out of the shrubs that were growing in front of the building.

“Fair enough. Come on in, Merle.” Teddy accepted the flowers and stepped aside to let him enter. 

“Hey baby brother. I didn't interrupt anything, did I?” Merle grinned at Daryl after he registered the smell of sweaty bodies in the air, that the pair hadn't aired out yet, and of course his observant eyes had immediately spotted the bottle of massage oil on the table.

“Whaddaya want, Merle?” Daryl was already annoyed by his brother's presence. Just when they were having a good day... go figure.

“Ah, don't get yer panties in a bunch. Ain't here ta start trouble. Came here ta make peace and get ta know the newest member of the family a little better.” Merle motioned towards Teddy who was walking by with the gardenias in her hand.

“Really? What changed your mind?” Daryl was curious where this sudden change of heart came from. 

“You were right 'bout what ya said. I'm too old for this crap and we ain't got anyone but us. Well, I ain't got nobody left but you,... you got yerself a new family. Not judging, just sayin'.”

“Would you like some iced tea, Merle?” Teddy shouted from the kitchen where she was putting the flowers in a vase.

“I'd sure 'preciate that, princess. It's hotter than hell out there.” Merle shouted back and watched Daryl get up from the couch, nodding his head towards the kitchen, motioning for his older brother to follow him. Teddy was fixing up three big glasses with lots of ice and placed them on the table where Merle and Daryl had sat down.

“So you're the new town doc, yeah? Heard bein' with ma brother and yer daddy acceptin' him into the fold got you folks in a lotta trouble?”

“I'm not that new anymore and most of the people in this town are just bigoted assholes. If they think my dating choices reflect my abilities as a physician, then so be it. Have fun waiting at the clinic for 6 hours and good riddance. We're doing fine without them.” Teddy shrugged, hating that Merle had brought that up, because she knew it made Daryl feel shitty. 

“Yeah, yer folks got 'nuff money anyway. Don't really need ta work, now do they?” Merle asked conversationally. “They still live in that big ass house down Burton Street?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Just makin' conversation, sister. So Billy's yer twin or something?”

“He is, has been for 29 years now.”

“So if yer parents are loaded and yer a doc, how come he's working as just a lowly mechanic, like ma brother. Ain't no money in that.”

“It's what he likes to do, simple as that. Why? Just because your parents got money you have to become a lawyer or something like that?” Teddy tried not to sound too defensive and thought that so far she was succeeding in keeping it light, but something about Merle just rubbed her the wrong way. She wasn't convinced that all of a sudden he wanted to play nice and act like they were family now.

“Well, you're a doctor...”

“Yeah, but not because my parents have money. It's something I've always wanted to do, just like Billy always loved working on cars and bikes.”

“So how long ya been datin' ma brother now?” 

“Gosh, how long's it been, honey?” She looked at Daryl questioningly.

“Met 'bout six months ago. That party in the woods was four months ago. Guess that's like the official day we got together.” Daryl shrugged, feeling a bit uncomfortable talking about it in front of his brother.

“I'll say.” Teddy grinned when she remembered exactly how they'd gotten together that night.

Merle looked back and forth between them and suddenly started hooting. “No way! Ya fucked her in the woods on the first date, lil bro? Damn, didn't think ya had it in you! Always act all shy and shit. I knew there was at least a lil bit of Dixon in ya.”

“I don't know about him having a bit of Dixon inside of him, but one thing is for damn sure: he is all man, through and through.” Teddy winked at her blushing boyfriend. Daryl didn't really appreciate it in that moment, he didn't want Teddy to give Merle any ammo.

“Aww shit, ya make me so proud, boy.” Merle grinned and ruffled Daryl's hair, making Daryl jerk his head away from him. “So four months and already livin' together. Havin' a dog together,... that's almost like havin' a kid. Guess I won't have ta be surprised if I get a wedding invitation in the mail soon, huh? And after that it won't be long til there's the pitter patter of little feet running round this place. With that speed you two are goin' at, I'm surprised that ya ain't working on that yet. Or are ya?”

“Don't think that's really any of your business, now is it?” Teddy's voice had an edge to it now, it was a touchy subject after all and Daryl was getting this weird look in his eyes again. A cross between sad and hopeful. He didn't really expect her to have made up her mind already, did he?

“Uuuuh sounds like I hit a nerve. What's the matter? My baby bro not wantin' any offspring? Yeah, our daddy wasn't the best role model, but ya know what? At least that taught us how to raise kids the right way.” Merle kept talking about it, he enjoyed pushing people's buttons too much to stop now, but Teddy wouldn't have it. She still had a bad feeling about him and this whole fake friendly visit.

“Say Merle, would you like to stay for dinner? I make a mean meatloaf.” Teddy plastered her own fake smile onto her face. Daryl's eyes widened, still vividly remembering the vile taste of her meatloaf. Mean indeed, but now he understood what she was doing. Merle seemed to feed them some kind of bullshit right now and it was only fair to return the favor. 

“I ain't fool enough to say no to a home-cooked meal, princess. Haven't had one in ages. She a good cook?” He looked at Daryl questioningly.

“She's unbelievable.” Daryl assured him and he wasn't even lying. She was unbelievably bad at cooking.

“Ahhh, yeah, I see why ya fell for her then. Easy on the eyes and a great cook? The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.” Merle grinned while he patted his belly. Teddy and Daryl shared a look and had a hard time not bursting out into laughter. Teddy had definitely NOT taken the route through Daryl's stomach. She had sneaked in way before she had cooked for him, he'd realized some time ago. She must have sneaked in through that wound in his shoulder and then she had stitched it up tight, no way for him to ever get rid of her again. Not that he'd even want to.

Teddy got everything out of the fridge. Daryl had wanted to make meatloaf that night anyway, so they had all the ingredients. She had been looking forward to it, but to get back at Merle was even better. They'd just order in after he'd left. Merle kept asking her question after question while he cooked, mostly about her parents, which struck her as odd, but she answered anyway, not elaborating very much, just giving the information he was asking for. 

“It true that they got a maid?”

“Yeah.” Teddy frowned. Why was he even interested in that?

“But they ain't got stuff like bodyguards or security or shit like that?”

“They are not the president ant the first lady, so no. Why are you so interested in the way my parents live?”

“Jus' making conversation. I'm curious by nature. Yer daddy said at the funeral I might get invited some day,... just wanna know what I'd be walking into.” Merle explained smilingly.

“Right. Anyway, dinner is just about ready. More tea, Merle?”

“Sure princess, fill 'er up.” He held his glass up for her and she refilled it before she served them dinner. Daryl and Teddy pressed their lips together, trying to keep their smirks in as Merle cut into his slice of meat loaf and greedily shoved some of it into his mouth. Teddy couldn't hold back anymore when his face scrunched up into a mask of disgust and he started coughing and gagging.

“SHIT!!! What the hell... Christ the Lord.” he grabbed his glass and quickly downed the whole contents. “What did ya do? There's a rotten fish in there. Or a pile of dog shit. Or both.”

“I'm sorry, Merle. Did I forget to mention that she's unbelievably bad at cookin'? Must'a slipped ma mind.” Daryl grinned happily while he watched his brother shudder.

“Fuckin' hell. What ya do that for?” Merle sputtered, grabbing the pitcher of tea and refilling his glass once more.

“Well Merle, you feed us a pile of dog crap, we feed you a pile of dog crap.” Teddy said, making Merle freeze. 

“And what's that supposed ta mean?”

“Do you really think we are stupid enough to fall for your act? How you are suddenly all happy about us being together and all of us being a big happy family? What do you want? Money? Sorry, we don't have any. My parents may be rich, but I'm not and you won't get their money through me.” Teddy told him coolly. 

“That's what ya think, yeah? You don't know me.”

“But I do.” Daryl cut in. “And this whole visit smells rotten ta me, too.”

“Yer both crazy. Tryin' ta do the right thing, that's what I get. I'm outta here.” Merle griped while he got up and threw his napkin on the table.

“Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.” Teddy sighed and got up to clear the table. Daryl made sure that Merle had really left and checked that the door was closed all the way before he came back into the kitchen to help her.

“Maybe he did mean it. He's just not good with things like this.” Daryl started to wonder out loud after a couple of minutes.

“Oh babe, you really are too good for this world.” Teddy smiled and kissed him lovingly. “Chinese, Italian, Greek? What's it gonna be?” she asked while she handed him the menus from the take-out places. Neither of them was crazy enough to eat that meatloaf themselves.

Merle on the other hand was fuming while he stomped down the sidewalk towards the bar. This plan had failed epically. Unfortunately Teddy was more than just a pretty face and she was smarter and a lot less naïve than he'd thought. She wasn't fooled by a couple of friendly smiles and interest in her life. Merle would have to put a lot more effort into his act and fast or he'd be in deep shit.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Two days later it was Monday and Daryl was happy to be able to return to work and have things go back to normal. Teddy was relieved as well to get their everyday normalcy back and have that Sandra-girl out of their lives. 

On her lunch break she drove into town to get a bite to eat, but she got distracted when she saw Merle walking into the bakery. Making a quick decision she pulled into the empty parking spot right in front of it. She got out and leaned against the passenger side door and waited for Merle to come back out, which he did about 3 minutes later with a big paper cup full of coffee in his right, bandaged-up, hand. 

“Hey Merle.”

“Well look at that. Come to apologize for tryin' ta poison me?” Merle snarled at her with a dark look on his face.

“Your brother ate two whole slices of that thing and lived to tell the tale, so man up and quit bitching.”

“That don't quite sound like an apology ta me, princess.” Merle growled while he stepped closer.

“That's probably because it isn't.” she shrugged nonchalantly.

“Ya know what, girlie? You are damn lucky that I ain't none of them damn woman beaters or you'd be in big fucking trouble. Ya don't wanna mess with ol' Merle.” he told her while he took another step towards her, getting up in her personal space.

“You don't scare me, Merle. And just so you know, if something goes missing in my parents' house or the practice or should anything happen to them, you can be damn sure that the cops will haul you in for questioning first and that they will drag your ass right back to jail.”

Merle's posture changed and he took a step back, his shoulders slumping with the sigh that left his body. “Damn, girlie. Knew you were smart, but I didn't think you'd figure me out that quickly.”

“You weren't very subtle, Merle. You might have Daryl fooled, because he still wants to believe in the good in you, but it was blatantly obvious that you didn't come to us out of the sheer niceness of your heart.” Teddy explained while she watched him scratch his head and shifting his weight nervously. Her gaze wandered to the dirty, blood-stained bandage on his hand. “What happened there?”

He followed her gaze to see what she meant and shrugged, “Bar fight.”

“Come with me.” she pushed herself off of her car and walked to the driver's side. “Get in. Come on, I don't have all day.”

Merle still hesitated and looked at her questioningly. Teddy sighed deeply when she noticed he was still standing there unmoving.

“Look, no matter what, Daryl loves you. Despite everything, he loved your father and he just lost him. I'm not gonna make him lose you too by letting you get a goddamn infection, alright? So get in the car, Merle.”

Merle finally moved and got in the car. If she was gonna check his wound, he might get some prescription painkillers out of her, that was his main motivation to go with her.

Teddy drove them back to the empty practice and led him into her office.

“Take a seat over there.” she told him, motioning towards the exam table while she went to wash her hands. “And take of that bandage, please.”

Merle did as he was told and when he was done Teddy came over to take a look at his palm. Her eyes widened when she saw the dark red flesh and the crooked zig-zaggy line of black thread that was holding the two skin flaps together.

“Holy shit, did you stitch this up yourself???”

“Yeah, done it a thousand times. Never been a problem.” Merle waved her off and winced when she carefully felt around the wound with her fingers.

“This time it is a problem, because it's infected. Good thing I ran into you today and caught this early on. Alright, I'm gonna numb this and then I'll take those stitches out, clean the wound and stitch it up right. You'll get antibiotics for treating the infection and in about two weeks you come over and I'll take these things out.” Teddy said and had kind of a deja-vu. She had been in this situation before, just that it had been Daryl and the cut had been on his shoulder. Merle just nodded and got comfortable while Teddy prepared everything. He would never admit it, but he was glad that it would get taken care of. With his probation officer watching him constantly it would have been hard to score some pills out on the street. 

“So I assume this is a pro-bono thing? 'Cause I ain't got no money ta pay ya, sugar.”

“Of course it is.” Teddy murmured while she went to work. “So tell me, what's going on? You need money?”

“Yeah. Owe some people.” Merle didn't see the sense in beating around the bush. She had figured it out anyway.

“How much?”

“Ten grand.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Merle! You've been out two weeks, how did you get into so much trouble already?”

“I didn't. I'm tryin' actually ta get things in order. Don't wanna go back to the big house. This is a debt from before I went in. People found out I got released, now they want their money. Ain't got the money, so I gotta find a way ta get it and that don't help in leadin' a trouble-free life, if ya know what I mean.” Merle told her, his voice sounding weary, a little defeated even, and for once Teddy believed him.

“Robbing my parents isn't the solution, Merle. You'll just get in more trouble and you'll definitely end back up in jail. Did you find a job yet?”

“Nope. People in this town ain't exactly jumpin' at the chance ta hire me.”

“Maybe you gotta start looking outside of Jasper.”

“And take the bus to work and back home everyday? Nah, thanks.”

“You can't have it all, Merle. Nobody can. So those people you owe the money to, I figure they aren't your nice little bookies from next door?”

“Not exactly.”

“Okay, this might sound like a stupid question to you, but humor me. Is there any way to pay them back in increments? Like a payment plan?”

“You're funny, princess.” Merle scoffed and shook his head with a humorless smile. “But it don't work like that.”

Teddy nodded and kept working in silence for a while. When she finished tying the last knot she looked back up at him. “You really trying to turn over a new leaf?”

“Yeah. Kinda have to. Don't want to go back ta jail. And Daryl was kinda right. Your daddy was right. Thought about it long and hard. They ain't the ones alienating me. I'm doin' that jus' fine all by myself.”

“But why? Why do you keep picking on Daryl so hard for wanting and now actually having a family? You can be part of that family, too, you know?”

“I know, I know. What I don't know is, why I keep doin' it. Jus' don't know. It's a damn mystery, even ta me. Guess I simply don't know how ta be part of a family. Daryl's always been different. Don't know how he was able to keep that part of him alive.”

“He's sensitive. Underneath that tough redneck exterior he is very sensitive and emotional. He was able to hold on to his dreams all these years. Maybe that's what helped him through everything and what helped him get his act together four years ago, when he stopped just drifting around with you.”

“He told you about that, huh? Almost got killed that one time, after that he turned things around.”

“I know. Why didn't you?”

“Jus' didn't.”

“But you're ready now?”

“I guess,... even if I ain't, don't really got no choice in the matter.”

Teddy nodded and put a fresh bandage on Merle's hand. “I might be able to help you.”

Merle's eyes snapped up to her face and he looked at her in disbelief. “You gon' give me the money?”

“Maybe. I might be able to come up with it, gotta talk to someone else first.”

“Pffff, who? Yer daddy?” he spat with a shake of his head, making Teddy cock her eyebrow.

“Really, Merle? You wanna bite the hand that offers you food? Guess I was right, it is a bad idea.”

“No, no, no, princess, come on. Just joking around. Now tell me, why would ya help me out?”

“Because everyone deserves a chance. If Daryl still believes in you, then I'll give you a chance and believe in you, too. Also, I think you know by now, that you better not try to pull a fast one on me. If I help you and you fuck me over, I will fuck you over and have your ass send back to jail without thinking about it twice.”

“Sounds fair.” Merle said after thinking about it for a moment. “How would this go down?”

“I might have a job for you. Or more precisely, I know someone who might have a job for you. If he is willing to give you the job, I will come up with the money for you and you will pay me back, a little bit every month until your debt is paid off.”

“What kind of job?”

“Farm hand. Ever done farm work before?”

“Yeah. I used to help out around farms 'round here when I was younger. Wouldn't be the worst job, I guess. Always paid well.”

“It's hard work. You won't get paid for sitting on your ass.”

“Might take some getting' used to again, but guess I could do it. Ain't a delicate little flower.” Merle grinned, making Teddy laugh a little.

“No, you certainly are not.”

“Why you helpin' me? Yesterday ya tried ta poison me and today ya wanna gimme ten grand?” Merle was a little wary about her motives in all of this. 

“I love your brother, Merle. More than anything in the world. He deserves all the good things on this planet and I wanna help him make his dreams come true. I wanna give him everything he wants and make him happy. What Daryl wants most in life is a family. And he loves you and wants you to be part of that family. He wants you to be able to be there for family dinner and share stupid stories over a glass of whiskey after you've eaten, but it can't happen if this shit gets in the way. It can't happen if you actually break into my parents' home and steal their shit. I would do anything for Daryl and I am willing to help you in order to get you to better yourself and become a part of the family. But you have to work for it. You have to show some respect and don't piss on every hand that reaches out, tries to make a connection or help you. And most importantly: No fucking lies.”

“Hm, I might'a been wrong 'bout you princess. Ain't such a bitch after all.”

“Oh, I am. If Daryl's happiness is at stake, I will be the biggest bitch on the planet. You can bet your ass on that.” Teddy smiled and gave him some antibiotics to last him a week. “Now give me your number so I can call you about that job and everything else. Daryl doesn't have to know about this for now, okay?”

“Sure thing, sugar.” Merle nodded and took her phone from her and punched his number into her contacts.

“Alright. Take those pills for a week. If it gets worse, come in and see me, alright? Don't need to lose your hand. You're gonna need it on the farm.”

“A'ight. I'll be expecting yer call then.” Merle grabbed his coffee and pills and strolled towards the door with his usual swagger, but he stopped before he went through. “Thank for patchin' me up, bitch.” he grinned.

“You're welcome, dick face.” she replied with a sickly sweet smile. They shared a little laugh before Merle left the office and Teddy cleaned up. Maybe all hope wasn't lost for Merle, she thought. It might be a big mistake to help him, but she would make sure to have some insurance, so if he was trying to rip her off, she would be able to let him suffer some consequences. 

######## ######## ####### ####### ######## #######

As soon as Gerald came back in from his lunch break, Teddy had followed him into his office and had told him about her encounter with Merle and about what she was planning on doing.

“Maggie said that they desperately need help on the farm and that Hershel's been looking for a farm hand. I think we should let Hershel and Merle meet and see if he would hire him. If he does, we give Merle the money he needs and he pays us back every month, as much as he can afford. If he acts up, Hershel can fire him, Merle violates his probation and goes back to jail, as easy as that.” Teddy explained her plan to her father, who was listening with widened eyes.

“And in that case we lose up to ten thousand dollars...”

“I know, that is kind of the big risk factor of that whole plan.” Teddy acknowledged the kink in her plan.

“I don't know, Teddy. I'm all for helping him out IF he is being genuine, but what if he isn't? It's a lot of money to just hand out to someone who has a history of being unstable and unreliable.”

“I know, but what other way is there to help him? It's not like he can pay those loan sharks back in monthly payments. And I don't think he'll get a lot of work done with smashed knee caps.” 

“Teddy, you watch too much television.” Gerald shook his head laughingly. 

“Maybe, but I also got a bit of mom's crazy in me.”

“Obviously. You wanna give Merle Dixon ten thousand dollars.” Gerald deadpanned. “Maybe I should have you tested.”

“Might not be a bad idea. No, but seriously, Dad. What are we gonna do? Do you have a better idea? He seemed genuine this time. He does not want to go back to jail, I believe him.”

“Alright, let's talk to Maggie and Hershel. But you are not gonna give him the money out of your own account. If you do that all your savings are gone. If we lose the money it will hurt your mother and I way less than it would hurt your finances. Your mother sold some of her artwork lately as you know, so we have it to spare. We were gonna give it to charity anyway, this will just be another kind of charity. But we will have our lawyer draw up some kind of agreement for him to sign. If he really means to turn his life around, it shouldn't be a big deal for him to give us some reassurance.” 

“Sounds like a good plan. You're the best, Dad.” Teddy smiled and leaned over the desk and kissed his cheek. Their plan was fleshed out, now it was back to work for both of them, before they could talk to the Greenes.

####### ####### ####### ####### ###### #######

Teddy and Billy left for Seattle two days later, so it was Gerald who drove Merle out to Hershel's farm, which was located on the outskirts of Ellijay, a thirty minute drive from Jasper. 

Gerald was surprised that Merle was calm and civil during the drive. They didn't talk about the money, but they talked about sports, Merle's experience in the military and things that were on the news these days. What didn't surprise Gerald was, that Merle was smart as a whip, just like Daryl. He actually had some pretty good insight on things. It was a shame, if those two boys would have had another kind of upbringing, who knew what kinds of great things they would have achieved by now.

Merle was doing a very good job at covering up how anxious he was. He really needed the money and he really needed that job as well. His P.O. had been on his ass about the whole job thing. If he wouldn't find a job soon, he would be in violation of his parole conditions and would have to go back to jail.

“Almost there.” Gerald said while he turned the car left onto a gravel-covered road which served as a very long driveway up to Hershel Greene's farmhouse. Merle took everything in with sharp eyes.

“Nice little set-up they have here.” he muttered.

“It's beautiful out here. Maybe one day my wife and I will settle down in an environment like this. She always wanted to live on a farm. Of course when she says that she has something like straight out of that tv show 'Dallas' in mind and not this.” Gerald laughed and Merle shook his head with a grin.

“That's women for ya.” he had to admit, that Gerald seemed to be alright. No wonder that his little brother had clung on to that family this quickly. Seemed like this whole judging-people-thing went both ways. They had judged him and his family and he and his family had judged them, thinking of them as rich pricks, that think they are better than everybody else. That they were willing to stick their necks out for him, had him impressed.

Gerald parked in front of the house, while the porch filled up with people that were coming out of the house. Merle got out of the car and walked towards them unafraid. He wasn't shy like his brother, he didn't have a problem with being the new guy.

“Ya gotta be Hershel, the farmer.” He said loudly while he walked straight up to the eldest Greene, before Gerald was able to make formal introductions.

“And you must be the black sheep, Merle.” Hershel countered with a smirk, the expression mostly hidden by his big white beard. Hershel had dealt with all kinds of people during his life and he knew just how to take men like Merle. You gotta take them the way they are without pulling the strict-card right away. Merle scoffed lightly and shook hands with the older man, while Gerald greeted Maggie with a hug and nodded a hello to Beth and Shawn.

“Gerald, if you would be so kind and take a look at Maggie? She hasn't been feeling very well today. I will take Merle to my office, so we can have a little chat.” Hershel said, putting his hand on Merle's shoulder and leading him inside the house.

“No problem. I'll get my bag out of the car, head on inside sweetheart, I'll meet you there.” Gerald told Maggie smilingly and went back to the car, while Hershel and Merle disappeared into the vet's office.

“I take it you got released from prison a short while ago?”

“Two weeks ago, yeah. Got released early, was a model prisoner.” Merle wore his trademark grin.

“But you haven't been a model citizen until now.” Hershel countered, making the grin on Merle's face falter.

“Guess not.” he admitted sheepishly.

“Found this in the attic a while ago.” Hershel said while he held up a bible. “Lost more than the Good Book there for a while. Lost my way.” He told Merle and took a long look at the man's bandaged right hand, before going on. “And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and cast it from you. For it is profitable that one of your members should perish,-”

“Than that that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:29 and 30.” Merle finished with a wry smile. If Hershel was surprised, he didn't let it on. “They had a damn fine library in that prison. Only thing I miss about it.”

Hershel chuckled at that, finding it funny that the prison library appealed more to Merle than the library in Jasper.

“Don't know if I lost ma way.” Merle kept going. “Can't lose something ya never found.”

“Maybe we can help you with that. Maybe getting out of your old environment will be a step in the right direction. There's a lot of work to be done here, not many distractions. I can put you to good use here. You have experience, you are strong, know your way around a farm. You saw the little cabin out there by the wheat field when you drove up with Gerald?”

“Yes Sir.”

“That would be yours for as long as you work for me. You are welcome to have all meals with us here, but of course if you prefer to cook for yourself, the cabin has a fully functioning little kitchen. I pay well, 20 dollars per hour and I provide health insurance. Not the best, admittedly, but it should cover anything that happens here on the farm pretty well. I've had good experiences with them in the past. You get paid every Friday. You might have to work on the weekends a couple of times, but I will ensure that your evenings are free so you can spend them however you see fit. No drugs on this farm, but I understand you would get in trouble for that anyway, wouldn't you?”

“Yes Sir. I am required to stay sober and take meetings.”

“You will certainly get time off for those meetings, I will make sure of that. Having been there myself, I know how important they are. I think the two of us will get along fine. I think there is some mutual respect here, right off the bat. I think this might work out. If you want it, the job is yours.” Hershel offered. 

“I want it.”

“Good, let's shake on it.” Hershel held his hand out and while they shook he kept talking. “Now let's go out there and introduce you to the rest of the family and we'll show you around.”

Merle was relieved, he finally had a job and one he could actually live with. It was good and honest work and maybe Hershel was right, maybe he would find a better way to live here, a good 30 miles away from his home town. He would only return to Jasper to see Daryl every now and then or his brother could visit, whatever would work out best. 

“How do you need the money, son? Cash?” Gerald asked when they were on their way back to Jasper, after having stayed for dinner on the farm.

“Yeah. You just gon' give it ta me? Jus' like that?”

“Of course not, but I guess you already figured that out. Teddy believes in you Merle, she was willing to give all of her savings for you and you better not let her down. It's a lot of money to just hand out, so we had our lawyer draw up an agreement, kind of like a contract of sorts.”

“Right. I pay ya back or I go back to the big house.”

“Exactly. You have to sign that you will do anything to keep your employment with Hershel and pay us back in monthly increments or you will turn yourself in for fraud.”

“Right, I figured you'd do something like that. But if I go back to jail, you lose that money for sure. If I stay out of jail, I can still find ways to pay you back.” Merle argued.

“That might be true, but I'd rather lose that money, than have you go back to your old ways, Merle. You need to stay out of trouble, not just for you, but for your brother, too. You know Billy and Maggie are getting married in a couple of weeks, they have a baby on the way.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, in a couple of years that could be Teddy and Daryl. They might get married, they might have kids, start a family. Wouldn't you want to be a part of that? Be a part of your nephew's or niece's life? I'm sure Daryl wants you to. Therefore you need to better yourself and lead an honest life.”

“It's really all about Daryl, ain't it?” Merle said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“Daryl's become like a son to me, Merle. I'll go a long way to make sure he is protected from bad things. Things like you dying out on the street because a drug deal went bad or something like that. I don't know you, yet. At least not a lot of you, but I can tell that you actually have a good head on your shoulders, just like your brother. You just need some help in getting it screwed back on right. And we will help you with that and if in order for that to happen you need ten thousand dollars, then you need ten thousand dollars. Now the question is: Will you sign that piece of paper?”

Merle took a moment, the whole agreement thing didn't sit well with him, but of course he'd already guessed that the Robertson's would do something like that. He wasn't surprised, but still, it was a big commitment and he had never been good with those. He had people counting on him now and it made him real nervous. But he didn't have any choice, he would have to sign it in order to move on with his life.

“Yeah. I'll sign it.” he finally agreed.

“Good. Get everything settled with your P.O. and then come see me in my office after. Tomorrow okay for you?” 

“Yeah, I'm free.” Merle nodded, before he scooted lower in his seat and looked out the window, silently processing everything that would be happening from now on.

####### ####### ####### ######## ####### ########

Daryl was relieved when the phone rang, right when he came back from work Thursday afternoon. Teddy had left the previous day with Billy and had only sent him a quick text at night to say that they had landed okay. He was worried about her, that whole trip was bound to make her sad and he kind of regretted not having gone with her to be there for her. 

“Hey girl.” he greeted her, waiting anxiously to hear her voice so he could gauge in what kind of mood she was.

“Hey, baby.” he could hear her smile, but her voice wasn't as bubbly as it usually was.

“How are things?” he asked while he busied himself by fixing himself a coffee.

“Gosh, don't ask. I should have come alone. It was a mistake to take Billy.” he heard her sigh deeply and he could just picture her raking her hand through her hair in frustration.

“Why?”

“He had a little melt down. I should have thought of that. He's gonna be a father soon, Daryl,... standing at Milo's grave, he just freaked out. He's scared as hell that it's gonna happen to his child now.”

“What did you say to him when he freaked?” Daryl asked curiously, settling himself on the couch with his coffee.

“I told him that he can't think like that. That it's rare for kids these days to die just like that. That he shouldn't focus on being afraid...”

“Mhm...” Daryl grunted. “Little hypocritical, don't cha think?”

“Daryl...”

“You don't believe that yerself, so why lie to your brother?”

“Stop. What was I supposed to say? Yes, Billy, be afraid, be very very afraid? Don't be like that Daryl, we can't have the same talk over and over again. I told you I'd think about it. I didn't call to fight.”

“Sorry, you're right. How are you feelin'? Doin' okay?”

“Yeah. Little sad, but that's to be expected.”

“Sure is.” Daryl agreed and took a sip of his coffee. “Miss me?” he grinned slightly, deciding to lighten up the mood a little.

“As much as it rains over here.” she giggled, repeating what she had told him for the first time months ago.

“Good. Miss ya, too. Hate it when yer gone.”

“Me, too. Oh hey, before I forget. My mom will be over in a few. Rosario made apple pie and my mom told her to make an extra one for you, because you like it so much, so she's bringing it over so you can have some for dessert after dinner.”

“I'd rather have you for dessert, but I guess pie will do.” he rasped into the phone, making his voice low on purpose, knowing it made her hot.

“You couldn't have me for dessert even if I'd be there.” Teddy reminded him with a laugh, covering up that he had her whole nether regions quivering.

“Still on yer damn rag? Fuck, still gon' be on it when ya get back?”

“Since I'm already gonna come back tomorrow, yes. No funny business for another couple of days.”

“When ya coming back exactly?” 

“I'll be going straight to work from the airport. Gotta help Daddy out, he's worked himself ragged in the past couple of weeks. I'll probably be in the office around eleven, take a couple of patients before lunch and I'll be home at my usual time at night.”

“Good.” his head whipped around when he heard a knock on the door. “Yer momma's here. Talk ta ya later?”

“Yeah, I'll call again before you go to bed. Love you, baby.”

“Same.” he smiled before he hung up and opened the door. “Hey.”

“Hello, sweetheart. I'm bringing you some pie. Did Teddy tell you?”

“Yeah, just got off the phone with her.”

“Oh, good. I am so glad I did not go with them. I would have had a heart attack with all those plane troubles they had.” Bernadette launched into her usual chatter and greeted Roxy, while Daryl gaped at her and almost dropped the phone that was still in his hand.

“Plane troubles? What the fuck? Teddy didn't say anything about that!” Daryl's blood pressure started rising as anger and worry bubbled up inside of him.

“Really? I'm surprised. They had quite a bit of turbulence. One of those motor thingies didn't work and they had to land in Omaha and board another plane. Oh she probably didn't want to worry you, you know how Teddy is. Did you have dinner already? No, it's still early. What are you gonna have? Rosario is making a brisket for us tonight, uuuhhh Roxy, I'm sure there will be some yummy leftovers for you, my sweet girl.” Bernadette kept talking and talking, not noticing how tense Daryl had become. He was gritting his teeth and clenching his wrists, not knowing whether he should strangle his girl or drive over there and crush her to his chest and never let her go again, at least not until they were safely back in Jasper. 

“Are you alright? Oh honey, don't worry. Those things happen. They are fine. Now what did you say you were gonna have for dinner?”

“Uhm, throwing a steak in the skillet.” Daryl replied absently.

“That sounds great, but you know, you could still have dinner with us.” Bernadette offered.

“Nah, I'm pretty beat. I'll just eat and prolly go to bed right after. But thanks.” he declined politely, not wanting her to think he didn't want to spend time with them.

“You look tired. It's the heat, isn't it? It's bad right now. Gerald and I are tired too at the end of the night. Oh well, honey, I won't keep you then. Just wanted to bring you the pie.” she rubbed his bare arm, something Daryl was used to by now, and smiled. “Have a nice night, sweetheart. I'll see you soon.”

“Yeah, you too.” he walked her to the door and was about to open it for her, when he remembered something. “Wait, I wanted ta ask ya something. Don't get to see ya alone a lot, without Teddy I mean.”

“What is it, dear?”

“I know it's still two months away, but I been wracking ma brain for a while now and can't come up with anythin'...”

“Oh you mean her birthday?”

“Yeah. I keep payin' attention, but she never really says anythin' bout wantin' something special, so I just don't know...”

Bernadette smiled and fought off the urge to hug him. He was just adorable and such a good boyfriend. “Daryl, don't you worry about getting her anything. The only thing Teddy wants is for you to love her. All she wants is you and your love and it looks like she's already got that in spades. Doesn't she?”

Daryl blushed and looked up at her from under his too long bangs while he nodded. “Yeah.”

“See? You're already giving her what she wants, don't worry about a big present. Pastries for breakfast in bed, maybe, she always loved that when she was younger. Of course there's still another way to give yourself to her as a present, right?” Bernadette winked and giggled at her own version of a dirty joke, while Daryl blushed even more.

“Guess I'll come up with something.” Daryl stammered. Bernadette laughed and kissed one of his hot cheeks before she told him goodbye and left. Daryl had hoped for some more insight on what he could give Teddy, but now he was still standing at square one, just more embarrassed than before.

######## ####### ###### ####### ######## ######## ########

Daryl gave Teddy hell on the phone for not telling him about the plane trouble and it took almost an hour for her to talk him out of driving to Seattle and pick her up himself. She wanted to strangle her mother for blabbing to Daryl. She had told her not to tell him, but obviously she had chosen to overhear that part. She promised him to text him the minute she was able to, as soon as she had landed safely.

The next day around 10 am Daryl kept checking his phone every two minutes, even though he had it on vibrate and would feel as soon as a text would be sent to his phone. At 10.28 am he finally got what he'd been waiting for.

“I'm back and on my way to work. See you tonight.”

But Daryl couldn't wait until tonight. He decided to surprise her on her lunch break. They were off for lunch at the same time, so it would work out nicely. He picked up two subs from the sandwich place and drove over there with Roxy to save some time.

Teddy literally jumped him when he came into her office with Roxy in tow. Daryl caught her with ease, gripping the backs of her thighs while she wrapped her long legs around him and her arms around his neck. They didn't even notice Roxy bouncing around them in a circle, happy to see Teddy, as well, while their mouths met and melted into a deep, passionate kiss. 

“Ya gotta promise me ta not leave town without me for at least a year.” Daryl panted against her lips when they parted to draw some air into their lungs.

“Promise. Won't leave without you. Never again. It sucks to be apart.” Teddy agreed, before they started kissing again for a couple of minutes.

“Hungry?” Daryl asked after letting Teddy down again.

“I'm starving. What did you get?” she asked when she noticed his empty hands.

Daryl looked around in confusion, clearly remembering bringing the bag inside with him. His eyes landed on Roxy who was laying next to the desk, the shredded plastic bag and the paper the sandwiches had been wrapped in surrounding her, while she chewed on Daryl's and Teddy's lunch. Daryl had dropped the bag and forgotten all about it while he and Teddy had kissed. Now their lunch was gone.

“Guess I can't really fault her for that, right?” he asked while he scratched his head.

“Not really. Probably thought it was for her when it dropped to the floor. Oh well...”

“Want me to get something else?” he asked, but she shook her head and walked over to her desk.

“No, I have some power bars in my drawer. That will have to suffice. Here, take two, you need it more than me.” She smiled while she handed them to him.

“Still got enough for yourself?”

“Yes, I do. Go ahead and eat them.” she told him while she unwrapped hers. Daryl first cleaned up the mess Roxy had made and threw it in the trash can before he sat down and unwrapped one of the bars Teddy had given him.

“Had a good flight? No trouble this time?”

“All good. Honey? There's something we should talk about.” she said a little hesitantly, making Daryl freeze.

“Like what?”

“It's about Merle.”

“Merle?” That made him frown. Why the hell would she wanna talk about him now? “What about him?”

“You know how it was weird that he was asking all these questions about my parents?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, I had a theory and on Monday on my break, I ran into him by accident and I asked him about it and he confirmed that I had been right.”

“Right about what?”

“He needs money and he wanted to break into my parents' house to steal their shit and sell it.” Teddy told him and felt bad when she saw his eyes widen in shock. Obviously Daryl had not thought about that.

“Are you fucking serious? Nah come on, Teddy-”

“He told me, Daryl. It's true. He owes people money. From before he went to prison. They heard about him being released early and apparently paid him a visit.”

“Shit. Why didn't he tell me? I could have helped him. I always helped him out. Why would he plan that shit?”

“Honey, because you can't help him out with this,... but I can.”

“No.” Daryl stated firmly. 

“Yes. It's already taken care of.”

“What the fuck??? You gave him money? You did this behind ma back?” Daryl's voice rose in volume. He didn't want to believe that she would do that and keep it from him. She had told him not to help Merle out anymore and then she did that.

“Hear me out before you keep on yelling. Please. I talked to him a while. He had a wound that needed sutures and while I stitched him up we talked. He needs to turn his life around, that's part of his parole, but he also wants to do it this time. Unfortunately the past came back to bite him in the ass, forcing him into doing illegal shit again. He needed that money to get those people off his back, before he could start over. You know, now with Maggie pregnant, Hershel needs even more help on the farm. My dad got Hershel and Merle together on Wednesday and he hired him as a farmhand. Him getting a steady job was the condition for us giving him the money. He will live out there on the farm in his own little cabin and he will pay us back the money we gave him. He signed an official agreement. If he fucks up, he goes back to jail. “

Daryl didn't know what to say. His mind was completely blown. He didn't know if he should be angry or happy, he was just speechless.

“I know what I said, about not helping him out, I know what this must look like to you and I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I just wanted to wait and see if the whole job thing would work out. He got a million chances from you over the years, he fucked it up, but you still believe in him, that he can be good. I saw a glimpse of it on Monday. My dad saw a glimpse of it on Wednesday. We're gonna give him one chance and one chance only. We gave him the chance to get rid of those things that hindered him in starting over. Now he's got a clean slate and he can prove that he means it when he says he wants to be better.”

“I don't fucking get it. Whaddaya want me ta say here? Thanks?”

“No, of course not. You don't have to say anything. It's all said and done anyway. Merle is paying his debt today and he is moving out to the farm on the weekend.” Teddy told him and watched him with a sinking feeling in her stomach when he scoffed and shook his head in disbelief.

“How much?”

“That's not important.”

“How fucking much, Theodora?” he growled in a dangerously low voice, that barely sounded human anymore. Teddy's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. Never before had he used her whole name, which made her realize that he was steaming mad at her.

“Ten thousand dol-” she didn't even get to finish. Daryl got up and punched the wall hard in anger before storming right out of her office.

“DARYL!” she yelled after him, but he was already out the front door and sprinting to his truck, phone in hand.

“Where are you?” he barked into the phone as soon as Merle had picked up.

“At Jason's. Why?”

“I'm coming over.” he told him and hung up, stepping harder on the gas pedal than he should. It wasn't even that he was mad at Teddy for hiding this from him for days and he was mad at Merle for even letting her do this, for using her like that. He knew Merle was a charmer if he wanted to be, Teddy maybe just lost her head for a moment, but he would be damned if he would let his brother fuck her over. 

Merle didn't stand a chance. As soon as he had opened the door, the freight train called Daryl had him pushed up against the wall, his forearm pressed firmly against Merle's throat.

“What the fuck do you think you're doing taking her money?” he growled and pressed against Merle's throat a little harder.

“Had ta do it.” Merle wheezed. “Was too good ta pass up. Look, she gets it back. I signed some shit. It's on the table. Take a look.”

Daryl released him and tore the piece up paper from the table and skimmed it.

“It's her daddy's money, anyway.” Merle coughed and rubbed his throat. “I got a job. They're getting it back, baby bro. No need to go Rambo on me.”

“And I'm s'pposed ta believe that? After all ya put me through? Nah, you jus' took her money so you can take it and run, because ya know damn well, that she's gonna kick ma ass back out on the street for that. She'll end up hating me, because I somehow made her believe she could help you. That's what ya want, ain't it? That I come running back ta you?” Daryl was seething, his true fear coming through.

“Ain't like that. I fucking signed that I'd turn maself in for fraud. Think I would do that if I wanted ta rip them off?”

“Oh fuck you, Merle. Like you would turn yerself in. You'd just run and hide and lay low until shit blew over. Ya always do. Ya just wanna ruin this fer me. Admit it. It's what ya do.”

“Won't believe me anyway, no matter what I say now, right lil brother? Ain't gonna admit nothing, 'cause there ain't nothin' to admit. I'm packin' ma shit up right now. Gonna have her daddy drive me out to the farm with all ma things tomorrow. I'll prove it to you, I mean it this time.”

“You better do.” Daryl let the piece of paper fall back onto the table and got in Merle's face again. “I'll drive ya out there tomorrow and I swear to fucking God, if ya fuck this up, I'll beat yer ass into the ground before I deliver ya to the cops personally.” he shoved Merle once again for good measure and shot him a hard look while he walked out of the house. He had to go back to work, before he got fired for slacking off. 

######## ######## ####### ######### ######## #######

“Daryl?” Teddy called out carefully when she came home that night. She had Roxy with her, because Daryl had forgotten to take her with him when he'd stormed out. Billy had picked her up and taken her to his apartment until Teddy was done at work.

“Kitchen.” came his curt reply.

“Hey.” she smiled nervously, while he seemingly let his frustrations out on some zucchini, hacking them to pieces with a big knife. 

“You gotta talk to me bout shit, girl. We talked about this. It's that damn abortion pill all over again.”

“It was not an abortion pill.”

“That ain't even the point. Do ya know what it feels like to find out about this shit? That ya do this behind ma back? Why the fuck didn't ya tell me?” his voice was softer and more high-pitched than usual, showing that now he was more hurt than angry.

“I don't know, it was stupid. I just wanted to take care of this. Solve the problem without you having to do anything this time. I wanted to take care of this for you.”

“Don't! That wasn't even remotely about me! That was you playing fucking hero or some shit.”

“I just wanted to help. I know that you want him in your life, Daryl. What do you think would have happened if he had robbed my parents? They would have sent him back to jail and he would have been gone again, probably for years and years.”

“He'll be gone now, too.”

“No, he won't be. He will be out of Jasper, but you will be able to go see him, have a beer with him or whatever. He can come visit us, he has the chance to make a life for himself now. Isn't that what you wanted for him?”

“Maybe it was, but I thought we agreed that he had to do it by himself. You were the one who told me not to help him out this time.”

“I know. I fucked up, okay? I should have told you right away. I'm sorry, but I don't think that helping him out was a mistake. I won't apologize for that. Maybe later if it turns out that it was all just one of his schemes, yeah then I'll be sorry for sure and you can say I told you so a million times then. But my dad said that Merle and Hershel hit it off, that they have some kind of understanding or something. I think this might actually work, Daryl. My dad wouldn't have given him the money otherwise.”

“It ain't even 'bout the fucking money, Teddy. It's about you and me. Do you get that? You're the one person I'm supposed ta trust without thinking twice about it. And I can't help feeling fucking betrayed when ya hide things from me. First the plane thing and then this? Don't do it again. And I mean it. If I can't trust ya, I can't be with ya. Tell me shit right away, is all I'm asking. If that's asking too much, I guess we're through.” he told her point blank. It would kill him to break up with her, but he needed to be able to trust her.

Teddy swallowed hard, her whole world was spinning around her. She hadn't meant for him to feel that way at all, she had just wanted to help and make him happy. Obviously she had chosen the wrong way to do it. 

“What's it gonna be, Doc? Am I asking too much of ya?” he asked, staring at her hard with his hands stemmed into his lean hips.

“No.” Teddy whispered. “I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you in any way. Quite the opposite.”

“But ya did. Not a fucking child, I'm a grown man, I can handle the truth. Ain't gotta keep things from me, don't need ya babying me. This stops now, ya hear me?”

Teddy nodded mutely, almost jumping out of her skin when he started yelling.

“Answer me, damnit!”

“Yes. I promise.” Tears started to spill out of her eyes and she had to bite her tongue to keep the sobs in.

“Good.” Daryl grumbled and turned his back on her. “Now sit yer ass down. Dinner's ready.”

Teddy wasn't hungry, but she didn't dare object. A plate was placed in front of her and she almost gagged. It was eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers in some kind of sauce on rice. All things she hated. 

“Dig in.” Daryl told her and when she looked up at him, she saw a shimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. Her expression must have pleased him.

“Daryl...”

“What? Oh right, ya don't like this stuff, do ya? Must'a slipped ma mind.” 

“You're punishing ME with food now?”

“It's kind of our thing, ain't it? Instead of beatin' each other up like my momma and pa used ta, we punish each other by letting the other eat crappy food. Way better than their way, don't ya think?”

“I guess.”

“Eat up.” he pointed at her plate and then up to her mouth in a sweeping motion, before he took his own spoon into his hand, watching her intently while he began to eat from his plate.

Teddy took a deep breath and pushed the spoon into the veggies, scooping it up with some rice. She put it in her mouth and started chewing. She was already shuddering, it felt like the food in her mouth was growing in volume with every chew and she couldn't bring herself to swallow it. She slapped a hand over her mouth, forcing the food to stay inside. She squeezed her eyes shut and started to swallow it, having to work hard at accomplishing the task. Not only was she really not hungry, but she wasn't kidding about being a picky eater. When she couldn't stand something, she literally couldn't eat it. She felt like she was going to suffocate on the damn rice and she quickly gulped down some water. 

“Okay, stop. Stop.” Daryl told her after the fourth mouthful had gone down, seeing that she really was torture. “Come here.” he reached for her hands and when she had stood up from her chair he dragged her around the table and pulled her on his lap. Tears were still streaming out of her eyes and down her cheeks and Daryl used his thumbs to wipe them away. “Never again. Promise me.” he told her softly.

“I promise. I'll never keep anything from you again. I really am sorry. I don't wanna lose you.” she sniffled.

“You won't, if ya keep yer promise. Ya know it would kill us both, so let's keep that from happening, alright?” Teddy almost started bawling like a baby with relief, when a little smile appeared on his face. For a moment she had really thought it was all over. She nodded eagerly and a little sob escaped her, when he pressed his lips against hers gently.

“It's forgiven now. Don't cry.” he murmured against her skin while his lips pressed little kisses all over her tear-stained face. But Teddy couldn't stop, the floodgates opened and about a month worth of tears came out. This fight had been a shock to her system and she swore to herself to never do anything behind Daryl's back again, now matter how good her intentions might be. Daryl held her and let her cry it out, reassuring her that they were okay. In a way he was relieved that Merle would live out near Ellijay now, because whenever he was around, whether he meant to or not, he always caused some kind of trouble.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check this story's tumblr for some visuals for this chapter. 
> 
> inthelittletownofjasper.tumblr.com
> 
> Be warned, it's +18/NSFW

Chapter 22

Weeks passed and the nightmare that had been their month of August was finally over, giving them new hope for a better September. There would be at least one joyous event: the wedding of Billy and Maggie. Both families were planning like crazy to get everything ready in time. Maggie was stressed out about her dress. She wasn't really showing yet, she had filled out a little, though and was in a panic about possibly not fitting into her dress on her big day. Her sister Beth had suggested a dress with a corsage, that way if she started showing a little, they would just tie it up a little less tight in the back, and now they were looking like crazy for the right one.

Teddy and Daryl were glad that they didn't have any parts in the wedding, other than being guests, so they were kept out of the big wedding planning committee. It was Bernadette, Maggie and Beth, who did all the work and Billy got roped into it, because he was the groom, but he didn't have much say in anything anyway. Gerald and Bernadette spent a lot of evenings on the farm, because of the preparations and they always made sure to talk to Merle and keep him up to date on what Teddy and Daryl were up to, and later, they would tell Teddy and Daryl how well Merle was doing on the farm. He'd been there for four weeks now and he was getting a lot of praise from Hershel and the family. He was doing good. He still had a big mouth and liked to hear himself talk, but he worked hard and helped out a lot and was slowly becoming a fixture in the Greene household. He hadn't contacted Daryl, yet. He wanted to wait a little longer and give himself the chance to get his head straight a bit more. The farm and family life had been good for him. It kept him busy and his head clear. He had already paid Gerald back 2000 dollars, after having worked a lot of overtime. A fact, that calmed Daryl down massively. He'd been nervous as hell about Merle not holding up his end of the bargain. But things finally seemed to work out for everybody for once. 

Daryl was glad that Teddy didn't make him wear a suit to the wedding. Shirt and tie will be good enough, she had said, but she expected him to wear nice pants and he'd agreed begrudgingly. It was still better than wearing a complete monkey suit. He did not envy Billy or his best man. If it would be a hot day, they would be sweating their asses off in their black suits, while he'd be perfectly good with his white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Teddy loved the white shirt on him, said it made his shoulders pop even more. She probably wouldn't be able to keep her hands off of him and he certainly wouldn't complain about some post-wedding sex, that would be sure to follow.

########## ########## ####### ######## ########

When Daryl came home on a Friday night in mid-September, he found Teddy asleep on the couch. The previous night she had to leave to help deliver a baby and he hadn't seen her since. It had taken long enough for the baby to pop out, for her to have to go straight to work after. He hated that part of her job. Her having to leave in the middle of the night didn't happen too often, but he would prefer if it wouldn't happen at all. He worried when she drove around at night, especially when she had to go patch up some drunk asshole or a woman who'd been beaten by her husband. Daryl was worried she might catch a beating, too, one of these nights, while she was just trying to help.

He kept Roxy from jumping her, motioning for her to go to her bed, while he knelt on the floor in front of the couch. His index and middle finger carefully pushed a strand of hair behind Teddy's ear, his fingers slowly caressing the outer shell while he pulled them away from her head.

“Darlin'.” he murmured in a low voice, trying to wake her up just enough for her to go into the bedroom and lay down on the bed. Teddy didn't stir, though. Not even her breathing changed, she was dead to the world. Not surprising after having spent almost 40 hours awake and working.

Daryl got up and carefully pushed his hands between her body and the couch. When he had a good grip on her, he lifted her into his arms effortlessly and carried her into their bedroom. He laid her down on her side of the bed, then he kicked off his Red Wing boots, took his phone out of his pocket, put it on his nightstand and laid down next to her on his side. He propped his head up in his hand and watched her sleep. He knew it would be considered creepy, but he just loved looking at her, he couldn't help it. He was addicted to the way his heart skipped a beat and to the rush that made his blood sing with warmth, happiness and desire alike, whenever he truly looked at her.

Asleep, make-up free and all relaxed, she looked so much younger than she really was, and so much smaller. Daryl had the urge to scoop her into his strong arms, so much bigger than her own, and protect her from everything bad they might have coming their way. He played with her hair, letting the soft, silky strands glide through his fingers. He loved the way it felt when he buried his hands in her tresses. He loved the way it tickled his chest, his belly, his groin and thighs, when she spent, what seemed like a blissful eternity, worshiping his body with her mouth. She would spend hours kissing and caressing every inch of him, showing him that she loved and accepted every single part of his body, just like he did with hers. Her skin was unlike anything he had ever felt. It was ridiculously soft and smooth. It felt like a warm mix of satin and velvet. Daryl gently ran his palm up her leg, not worried about waking her at this point. He found himself grinning, when he felt the teeny tiny stubble of hair against his palm, knowing she would freak and run to the bathroom to shave if he would mention it. The stubble didn't bother him at all, it was a natural occurrence and he didn't want her to feel the need to shave twice daily to make sure she was as smooth as a baby's bottom. He knew she would if he would be enough of a douchebag to ask her to. She wanted to be absolutely perfect for him, not understanding, that she already was in his eyes. The wild bed head she sometimes sported? Cute as fuck. The mascara smudges that could be found underneath her eyes on some mornings? Kinda sexy. Gave her a bit of a 'just fucked' look. The little mole on the left, right next to her belly button, which she hated so much? A great starting point for his mouth to explore her body anew. That loud, obnoxious laugh she had, that turned into a pig's snort when she couldn't stop laughing long enough to breathe? Music to his ears. The best fucking song he'd ever heard. He'd put it on non-stop repeat if he could. 

People would look at her disapprovingly, when she would laugh out loud in public, so he knew to other people her laugh was really annoying, but he couldn't get enough of it. He might not have the best grasp on the concept of love, but he was pretty sure, that this meant he was absolutely crazy about her. Like the tightening of his chest, every time she was around him wasn't indication enough... He was, without the shadow of a doubt, in love with her. Deeply and hopelessly. Probably had been since the night of the party when she had patched him up, it had just taken him a bit longer to figure it out, than it had taken her to realize her feelings for him.

What he had ever done right to make her fall in love with him, he had no idea. He'd been an ass to her, when they had first met. When he first saw her in the bakery his first thoughts (apart from being suspicious of her) had been: hot, but a snob. And he'd treated her like shit. He'd mostly barked and snarled at her like a dog. How in the world that had made her develop feelings for him was beyond him. Wasn't like she could have fallen for his good looks. He knew he was in good shape, he was okay with his body, apart from the scars, but face-wise, he was butt ugly with his beady little eyes, thin lips and weird nose. He would never in a million years consider himself to be attractive. Much less pretty. Yeah, pretty she had called him once. She thought all those things of him, pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, hot... She was out of her mind, but hey, her bad taste was his fucking luck. He believed her when she told him, though, because there was no way to fake that amount of adoration her eyes held for him. She loved him with all her heart and he knew it was true. Even though he couldn't fathom why she had given her heart to him, he never doubted her feelings for him. They were displayed on her face every time she looked at him and she told him through her actions and little gestures and that was a language he understood clearly. 

As cheesy as it sounded to his own ears, and he would never ever say it out loud, but he truly believed that they were made for each other. There was no other reason to plausibly explain how they worked so well as a couple, considering those two vastly different worlds they were coming from. Someone was up there watching them and had planned all this. They were meant to be and he knew he would never fall in love again with anyone else. Teddy was for him. She was his and always would be.

He felt his eyes sting with unshed tears and he quickly tore himself out of his thoughts, before he started bawling like a damn baby, because of the overwhelming love he felt for her. He chuckled at himself, jokingly berating himself for being a pussy, and carefully pulled the covers over Teddy's body. He kissed her forehead, keeping his lips pressed against them for a moment.

“Love ya. Ya don't know how much.” he murmured, repeating the words she had told him a couple of weeks ago back to her, before he pulled away. He carefully scooted off the bed and left the room to fix himself some dinner, closing the door behind him so she could sleep.

######## ######## ########### ####### #########

“Daryl...” Teddy whispered towards his dark head of hair that was resting on her chest.

“Huh?” he grunted in reply, barely awake.

“Our upstairs neighbors are having sex.” she complained with a pout while she stared up at the ceiling, the sound of their bed slightly sliding back and forth on their floor was grating on her nerves.

“So?” he murmured, already on his way back to dream land.

“It's keeping me up. How can you sleep with their bed tearing up their floor?”

“'M tired.” he mumbled, shifting slightly, curling his leg around hers tighter. “Jus' close yer eyes and go back to sleep. They'll be done in a minute.”

“No, always takes them forever.”

“What ya want me to do? Go up there and tell them to put a carpet under their bed? Be glad they only do it once a month.” he sighed deeply, burrowing his face deeper into her chest.

“But why do they have to do it at 4.30 am on a Saturday?”

“You woke me up at 4.30 am on a Saturday?”

“Why should I suffer alone?” Teddy giggled and moved her head up to kiss the top of his head. “Thought they'd be past the age of having sex by now.”

That made Daryl scoff. “There ain't no being past the age for that, girl. I'll still bang your brains out every day when I'm 65.”

“Oh really? We'll see about that. I'll write that down on a piece of paper later and have you sign it. Then I'll put it in a box and when you're 65 and the only thing you'll do with me is argue about the stupidest things, I'll get that box out and remind you of your promise.” she laughed quietly while she let her fingers play with his hair.

“Or I'll remind you when ya refuse to let me fulfill ma marital duties.” he grinned with his eyes still closed. “We'll be raisin' hell in that old folk home. Teach 'em youngsters how it's done.”

“You think we'll be living in a nursing home at that age already? I'd only be 59, younger than my parents are now. I think we'll still be home for another couple of years then.”

“Yeah, guess you're right.” he yawned and once more tried to go back to sleep, but now he couldn't stop focusing on the noise either and he chuckled when they heard a woman damn near shouting with glee through the ceiling. “Poor dude. She's fakin' it for sure.”

“You think?” Teddy giggled quietly.

“Yup. Way too enthusiastic. Ain't real.” 

“Poor woman. Probably means that he doesn't know what he's doing.” Teddy deduced.

“Or she's like you. The way you were. You had a hard time lettin' go when we got together.” he reminded her with smile. Not that she could see it, he remained cuddled into her chest, but she was able to hear it in his voice.

“But they've been married forever according to my parents. She should be past that point, now. Look how quickly you can get me there now, after a couple of months.”

“'Cause I like playin' with ya and I want you to get off, too. Maybe he ain't interested in her pleasure.”

“Poor woman.” Teddy sighed again.

“Yeah, you win. Poor woman. They done. Go back to sleep.” he yawned again and shifted once more to get more comfortable.

“Think she shaves? 'Cause I think I might start shaving when I go grey.” Teddy mused out loud, making Daryl's head snap up and shoot her an incredulous look with sleepy eyes. She was barely able to make him out in the dim moonlight, but she could literally feel his eyes on her.

“Teddy, I ain't kiddin'. Sleep now, or I'll spank ya and trust me, I won't make it good.” he grumbled and let his head flop back on her chest. “And jus' so you know, if you start shaving, I start shaving.”

“God no.” Teddy giggled.

“Sleep.” he grunted one last time and with Teddy finally being quiet, and still playing with his hair, he fell back asleep.

####### ###### ###### ######## ####### #######

“Oh wow!” Teddy exclaimed while she read the paper during breakfast a couple of hours later.

“What?” Daryl tore his eyes away from his 'Cycle World' motorcycle magazine and looked up at her questioningly.

“A family in Texas claims to have caught a chupacabra in their backyard.” Teddy read to him.

“Told you they exist.” Daryl shrugged nonchalantly, not really fazed by the news.

“A wildlife diversity biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, said the Texas animal was likely a dog, fox or coyote that has mange. Here's a picture.” Teddy handed him the paper. Daryl looked at the picture of the creature and shook his head.

“Nah, ain't one. The one I saw looked different.” he told her, handing back the paper.

“But didn't you say that you weren't quite that sober when you saw it?” she said with a teasing smile.

“You're jus' like Merle. I know what I saw! Those shrooms didn't have anything to do with it.” he grumbled defensively and turned his attention back to his magazine. He didn't like being doubted.

“Alright. More juice, honey?” Teddy asked when she grabbed the pitcher of orange juice to refill her glass.

“Yeah, thanks. What's on the docket for today. Anythin' important?” he asked around a piece of bacon he had stuffed into his mouth.

“No. Grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, nothing exciting. Just a nice and boring weekend.”

“Sounds good ta me. Had enough excitement last month to last us a fucking year.” he said while he finished up with his magazine and put it on top of the newspaper she had read. “Got the list ready?”

“Here it is. Take a look, see if I forgot something.”

“Chocolate.” he said right away upon not finding his favorite food item on the list.

“Baby, we ALWAYS get chocolate. We never ever forget buying it. YOU make sure that we don't forget it, so no need to put it down on the list, is there?” Teddy giggled and leaned down to him and kissed his cheek while she cleared the table. 

“You makin' fun of me or somethin?” he playfully narrowed his eyes at her.

“Or something.” she laughed and squeaked a moment later when his palm landed hard on her ass.

“Daryl!” she giggled while she rubbed the stinging spot with her hand.

“You're startin' to ask for it again.” he smirked.

“Maybe. Oh, before I forget, I'll have to go out for a bit and check on the new baby this afternoon.”

“Great.” he huffed. “That gonna take twelve hours, too?”

“Nope, just an hour, I guess. The mother had gestational diabetes, so I gotta make sure the baby's and mother's blood sugar levels are okay and see how the little squirt is doing.”

“Fine.” he sighed, not happy, but it was her job and he couldn't keep her from going.

“I'm sure you'll find something to occupy yourself with for an hour.” she winked and placed another kiss on his lips, before they left to get their shopping done.

####### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### #######

Teddy left around three in the afternoon for her appointment with the new parents and their baby and when she came back, she found out that Daryl had indeed found something to occupy himself with. 

“Hey.” she greeted him brightly when she stepped into the kitchen, where he sat at the kitchen table, highly focused on something in his hands. 

“Hey.” he mumbled absently, while he looked back and forth between his hands with a frown, turning his hands, to examine all sides of whatever he was holding. Teddy stepped closer and looked over the black plastic parts on the table and in his hands and her jaw dropped to the floor, her face flushing, when she realized what those parts were, or used to be: Her mini magic wand vibrator.

“Uhm... I-is,... that my vibrator?”

His head finally popped up to look at her questioningly with his eyebrows raised, while he screwed the round head back on the handle, or whatever you wanted to call it. “Hm? Oh, yeah.”

“What are you doing with it?” Teddy watched his hands sceptically.

“Found it when I was lookin' for batteries. Ain't never been up close and personal with one, was curious how they worked. I was bored and ya said I should find something ta occupy myself with. Found something.” he said matter-of-factly and waved the half-assembled vibrator in the air.

“Okay, first of all,... you looked for batteries in my nightstand???”

“And that's exactly where I found 'em.” he grinned.

“Yeah, but those are for,... well... THAT.” she pointed to her sex toy in his hands. “The other ones are here, in that kitchen drawer.”

“I know, but they weren't the right ones.”

“So you decided to look in my nightstand?”

“Took a chance,... thought ya might have something like this in there. Figured it had the ones I needed.” he shrugged and looked up at her grinning. “But don't worry, since ya had two whole packs of batteries stocked right next ta it, I didn't have to take them outta yer little toy.”

“Well, does it still work?” she asked a little defensively. She didn't know why, but she was a little embarrassed by him finding her sex toy.

“Why? Ain't like ya need it these days, or do ya?” he leaned back in his chair and looked her over from head to toe and back up. He leaned forward and grabbed her wrist with his free hand and pulled her to straddle him on the chair. “When was the last time ya used it?”

Teddy's cheeks flushed an even darker shade of crimson while she shrugged. She didn't look him in the eyes, she focused on the soft fabric of his black t-shirt, idly plucking at it with her fingertips.

Daryl raised an eyebrow in surprise, not able to fight the smile on his face, he loved when he was able to make her blush. “Oh, so recently, yes? When, darlin'?”

Teddy cleared her throat, feeling tempted to lie and tell him she never used it anymore. She didn't want him to feel like he couldn't give her what the toy was able to give her, but she had promised him to never keep anything from him again and lying about something so small would be even worse. She'd just have to get over her embarrassment and hope that he wouldn't feel bad about her using the toy.

“I,... uhm,... I only use it, when we can't do it.” she answered truthfully, but the answer wasn't enough for Daryl.

“Gotta do better than that, sweetheart. Tell me what ya mean by that. Come on, you can tell me.” he coaxed her, even though he had a pretty good idea what she meant, but he wanted to hear her say it.

“You know how horny I am when I'm on my period... God that sounds gross.” she hid her red face behind her hands. “But I use tampons, there's no mess or anything... God why am I even talking about this, please forget it, okay?”

“Nah, ya can forget about that. I wanna hear more.”

“No, Daryl, come on.”

“You come on. Ain't nothin' ta be ashamed about 'nd I wanna hear more. That thing make ya cum better than I can?”

“No, not better. I have way better orgasms with you.”

“But? It don't get tired?” Daryl smirked when Teddy looked up at him in surprise. It was like he was reading her mind.

“No, it doesn't. Vibrations keep coming.” she muttered and let her eyes flick back down to his chest.

“And you keep cummin', hm? How many times? Three times? Four times? How many times can it make ya cum? Don't lie, I wanna know.” his voice was a sexy whisper close to her ear.

“Eight?” Teddy's voice had turned into a whisper, but Daryl had heard her nonetheless and he was floored.

“EIGHT?” he shouted in disbelief. “You're kiddin'. You mean ta tell me, that ya can have eight fucking orgasms in a row? Real, full-blown orgasms?”

“Not real, full blown... the first two, yes, but after that... I don't know how to explain it. The sensation is still there, it get's really intense, but it's not a whole body thing anymore, it's focused down there, like little intense shakes and then it builds up again and releases with another little shake, it's not real orgasms anymore, I guess, but close. It always took me a while to get myself there, as you know, but when I made it, I just kept going... had to make it count, you know?” she felt her face burning from embarrassment. Daryl looked truly shocked and it didn't help easing her shame at all.

“Wow.” Daryl processed this for a moment. He'd been able to give her three, if he pushed through he would probably be able to give her four, but eight? That he couldn't do. Unless... A devilish grin parted his lips, when an idea started to form in his head. His hands, his mouth and his dick would get tired, but her vibrator wouldn't. He could use it while they were together. He would definitely keep that in mind for later, but now he wanted a little taste of what that thing could do for her.

“Ya wanted ta know if it still worked?” he guided the vibrator underneath her skirt and up between her legs. “You tell me.” with those words he turned it on and pressed it against her panty-covered core. Teddy dug her fingers into his broad shoulders with a yelp, as the strong vibrations hit her. 

“Take yer blouse off. Top, too.” he watched her while she unbuttoned her slate grey blouse with her shaky fingers, letting the head of the vibrator trace along her pussy from top to bottom and back up, the panties keeping the vibrations from hitting her to full-effect yet. When she had taken both articles of clothing off, he pulled down the cups of her black lace bra, catching one of her nipples between his teeth and flicking his tongue against the hardening peak.

Teddy hissed and threaded her small hands in his hair, clutching his head to her, all the while moving her pelvis against the vibrator, trying to get it to the right spot. Daryl used his free hand to tear at her panties and pushing them out of the way as best as he could in this position, then he let the round, vibrating head come in contact with her clit, tearing the most delicious sounds from Teddy's lips. She screamed his name, and her eyes rolled back into her head, when he pushed two fingers inside of her and curling them, stroking his fingertips along that magic spot on her front wall with slow, but firm movements while he suckled her tits, the unrelenting vibrations against her clit sending her racing towards the edge. Her response to what he was doing to her had his cock hard and throbbing painfully in under a minute. Images of pushing her back on the table and slamming himself inside of her balls-deep were filling his head, when she started fluttering frantically around his fingers.

“Come on, darlin'. Give it up.” he coaxed, voice hoarse with desire and he started wriggling his fingertips against her g-spot faster and Teddy went flying. Her body was out of control and the force of her orgasm sent her falling forward against Daryl, pressing him against the back of the chair, her hand in his hair pulling so hard, that he thought she had pulled out a whole fistful of it. The rest of her body stilled, but her pelvis was shaking and jerking uncontrollably, while she moaned and whimpered loudly, almost sounding like she was in agony. Daryl felt her gushing over his hand, groaning out his excitement when he felt the evidence of her pleasure coating his hand. 

He didn't give her time to calm down. He withdrew his fingers and wrapped his arm around her back, the other hand digging the vibrator into the back of her thigh, while he lifted her onto the table. He made quick work of his jeans and underwear, it only took a couple of seconds until he pushed the wide head of his cock into her, his eyes slamming shut and his head falling back when he felt her wet opening engulf the tip of him, her muscles already squeezing and clamping down on him. 

“You know,” he groaned under his breath, while he thrust inside deeper. “Always thought ya had one of 'em dick-shaped things. Something ta put inside'a you.” Daryl took her hands in his and pulled her up into a sitting position. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her close to him, while he moved in and out of her slowly, the tip of his nose nuzzling her face while he talked quietly.

“Ya like being filled. Ya need somethin' stretchin' ya, don't cha darlin'? The way you clamp down on me and squeeze the shit outta me with these muscles of yours as soon as I'm in ya,... You need ta get slammed, sweetheart. Ya need to feel me right against the end'a you. Ya need it to set ya off. Ya need me, don't cha, Teddy? Need me to make ya cum right.”

“Yes.” Teddy breathed with her eyes closed, enjoying his closeness and the way he moved inside of her, slow and controlled, even though she was able to feel the need bubbling just underneath his skin.

“Tell me.” he whispered and nipped her bottom lip, before he let her speak.

“I need you, baby. Make me feel good, please.”

Daryl groaned deep in his throat and gave her a deep, hard thrust to bump against her cervix. “Like that?”

“Yes, oh God, yes.” Teddy yelped and let herself fall back on the table as soon as his hands released her. 

“Let's try how this feels for ya, when we use yer toy.” he growled and took the vibrator back into his right hand and pushed the tip against the soft flesh right on top of her clit. 

Teddy screamed again and her hips came off the table, Daryl roared loudly, his knees almost buckling when he felt her walls constricting around him like never before. He pinned her hips down with his free hand and started pumping his pelvis into hers, making sure to stay embedded deeply inside of her all the time, barely pulling back an inch before he pushed back in, giving her cervix the attention Teddy liked best. In the back of his mind he wasn't even sure he would be able to pull out all the way, much less back in, she was gripping him so damn hard. 

Teddy was thrashing and wailing as her second climax ripped through her, so much more intense than usual. Daryl didn't want it to end, he wanted to keep doing this forever, but he didn't stand a chance. This time, even he released a loud scream, when he was violently shoved over the edge, having to hold on to the edge of the table with both hands when his knees threatened to give out. They sounded like animals, but Teddy didn't even notice. She was shaking like she was touching a live-wire, sweat covering her body, her wails dying down to whimpers, when Daryl finally removed the vibrator and she finally relaxed. Her arms flopped down on the table, her legs dangling over the edge, while she tried to catch her breath. Daryl sank to the floor, not having the wherewithal to reach for the chair. He sank back, supporting himself on one hand while he pushed sweaty strands of hair out of his face with the other. 

“Holy fuck.” he muttered, not able to think straight yet. A knock on the door startled them, but neither was ready to move, their legs were way too shaky.

“WHAT???” Daryl yelled through the apartment. Loud enough for the person outside to hear. They had to strain their ears in order to hear the muffled voice, shouting back to them, but they were able to hear it.

“We are having friends over for coffee! If you could keep it down, please? Thank you!”

Teddy leaned up on her elbows to look at Daryl and suddenly, they burst out into laughter and Daryl let himself fall on his back on the floor and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes.

“Well shit. Looks like we ain't making any more friends in this building.” he laughed, still out of breath.

“Most certainly not.” Teddy giggled under her breath. “But who fucking cares. Guess I can't complain about them having sex ever again, can I?”

“Nope.”

“Damn.”

######### ######### ######### ###### ####### #######

One week later the big day was upon them. Daryl was sitting on the steps in front of the building, enjoying a smoke while he waited for Teddy to come down, so they could drive to the farm for the wedding. She wasn't able to decide on a pair of shoes and Daryl hadn't been any help. Dear God, they had all been black and strappy and sexy as hell, and they also all looked kind of the same to him, what the hell was he supposed to say? So she had ushered him out and told him to wait outside. 

When he was on his second smoke, he finally heard the clacking of her heels in the hall and before he had a chance to turn around to look at her, a black piece of fabric was dangling in front of his eyes.

“Didn't you forget something?” she grinned, when he cursed under his breath. He hated wearing a tie and he thought by the time she noticed that he hadn't put it on, they would be halfway to the farm.

“Damn.” he sighed miserably, making Teddy giggle. She put the tie around his neck and grabbed both ends of it to pull him to her for a kiss.

“You look so handsome. Gonna give the groom a run for his money.” she smiled, while Daryl shifted uncomfortably.

“Really gotta wear this noose, huh?”

“At least for the ceremony and the family pictures. You can take it off again for the party. Come on, Maggie said that even Merle is gonna wear a tie. If he can do it, so can you.” she knew that would get him to wear the tie for sure and she was certain that he would try to wear it longer than Merle as some kind of brotherly pissing contest.

“Pffft, won't believe that until I see it. Now come on, yer momma's gonna tear us a new one if we're late.” He got up from the steps, took her hand and led her to her car and Teddy fell in love all over, when he was the perfect gentleman and open and closed the door for her.

###### ######

After arriving at the farm, a nervous wreck called Billy immediately grabbed his sister and took her with him to his room for some moral support and to calm him down. It gave Daryl a chance to seek out his own brother. It didn't take long to find him, Merle's voice carried and he soon found him talking with Gerald and Hershel. Teddy had been right, Merle had really cleaned up and was wearing a shirt and tie, just like Daryl was. Merle had a shit-eating grin on his face, when he spotted his little brother.

“Look at ma baby brother. Couldn't even get a decent hair cut for a wedding, boy?”

“Ain't MY wedding, Merle. Don't nobody care what I look like.” Daryl rolled his eyes. Clearly Merle hadn't changed too much, but that was alright by him. As long as he didn't fuck up his new life, Daryl gladly took some verbal jabs.

“What about yer girl. Ain't she givin' ya hell 'bout it?” 

“Teddy likes it and I'm guessing that is all he cares about, right Daryl?” Gerald smiled and slapped Daryl on the shoulder with the affection of a proud father.

“Where is she anyway?” Merle asked, looking around.

“Billy grabbed her.” Daryl replied and Gerald took it as his cue to give the brothers some time alone. 

“We should probably check on our kids.” Gerald said and motioned for Hershel to come with him.

“You're right. We will see you boys after the ceremony.” Hershel smiled and put his hand on Merle's arm in passing.

“You good?” Daryl asked when they were alone.

“Yeah. Got yer girl and her daddy ta thank for that. Saved ma ass.” Merle admitted and Daryl couldn't help but smirk.

“Oh yeah? So what you're really sayin' is, that I was right? They're good people?”

“Yeah, yeah, you jus' go ahead and gloat. Guess ya earned the right this time.”

“Sure did.” Daryl nodded while he pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his pants pocket, offering his brother one.

“Look at us, wearin' ties and bein' at a wedding. Who would've thought, huh?” Merle mused while he took a smoke.

“A lot has changed. You changed. 'm glad ya did.” Daryl said quietly, not looking at his brother. They weren't into touchy feely stuff, but Daryl wanted Merle to know that he was proud of him.

“Yeah. So did you. That girl of yers is good for ya.” Merle took a long drag of his cigarette and slowly blew out the smoke. “Her daddy just blabbed a little secret,... It true?”

“Yeah.” Daryl knew what Merle was talking about.

“Good.” Merle looked Daryl in the eyes and gave him a nod, showing he meant what he said.

######## ########

The ceremony was wonderful and Maggie was the most beautiful bride Teddy had ever seen. She and Bernadette were crying their eyes out watching Billy being all grown-up and getting married to that great woman. Billy had tears in his eyes when he saw Maggie walk down the aisle on Hershel's arm. The best man had to slip him a tissue, so he could wipe his tears from his face, the whole scene effectively making every woman swoon. It was obvious how much Billy was in love with his bride.

Teddy was clutching Daryl's hand hard, somehow thinking it might help her get a grip on herself, but it was hopeless, her little brother was getting married and it touched her heart deeply. She was incredibly happy for them. Daryl couldn't do much more than squeeze her hand and hand her tissue after tissue during the ceremony. He had liked the whole ceremony, but he hadn't been as touched by it as the women of the family. When he looked around he saw every woman in attendance cry and their partners handing them tissues. Seemed like that was a thing. 

After the ceremony all the women, rushed to redo their make-up before the pictures were taken. Daryl could have done without that whole photo shoot. It took forever and he was starving. There had to be pictures taken of the Greene family, then the Robertsons, then the groom and the bride with just the parents, then with the parents and siblings, then a picture of all of them, and so on and so on. Daryl was happy when they were dismissed and the photographer moved on to taking shots of just Billy and Maggie. He grabbed Teddy's hand and pulled her towards the table with the drinks and snacks.

“You can drink, honey. I can drive back later.” Teddy told him, but Daryl declined and handed her a glass of champagne.

“Nah, here. You worked like crazy in the past weeks. You let loose a little.”

“It wasn't THAT much, only two nights I had to go out. You're not trying to get me drunk, are you, Mr. Dixon?”

“Maybe I am. Why? Scared I'll ask ya some questions ya wouldn't answer sober?”

“That thought hadn't even crossed my mind. Now you have me scared for real. Better pass this on to my mom.” she laughed while pointing to her glass.

“Nah, you jus' go ahead and drink up.” Daryl chuckled and kissed her cheek while he grabbed himself a crab cake from the table.

“TEDDY! Billy wants another picture with you!” Beth yelled towards her and Teddy rolled her eyes when she handed her glass back to Daryl.

“Awesome. Hope they will be done soon. These shoes were made for sitting only.” Teddy muttered and followed Beth back to the newlyweds.

Daryl watched her go, his chest tightening, as well as his groin, as his eyes swept over her retreating form. Those shoes might not just be for sitting. They also looked pretty damn good for drumming against his back and ass while he made her his over and over again. She looked so pretty in that little strapless black dress, he was more than a little tempted to nibble along her shoulder blades and sink his teeth into the back of her neck. Her soft, tanned skin was calling to him, making his fingers itch and his mouth water. He couldn't wait to get her back home later.

“Soooo,...” Gerald approached Daryl from behind, making the younger man jump a little in shock. Daryl turned to face him and looked at him questioningly.

“So?”

“Just thought I'd check in with you. I was curious...”

“Think I changed my mind after the ceremony?” Daryl chuckled.

“Maybe a little. Can be pretty overwhelming, imagining yourself in their spot.”

“Kinda is, but that don't scare me. I know what I want.”

“Good to know. You are still intent on waiting a little longer until you'll ask her?”

“Yeah. We ain't in no rush. And I don't want her to think I'm askin' her because of all this happenin'.” Daryl explained once more, even though he had already told Gerald a couple of days earlier.

“But if you're in no rush, why did you already ask my permission?” Gerald asked, making Daryl a little impatient, because they had already talked about all that and Daryl hated going over things over and over again.

“Told ya, felt adventurous that day.”

“Now you're waiting to feel adventurous again before you ask her?”

“Maybe.” Daryl shrugged, hoping Gerald would get the hint that he didn't feel like discussing this further. He was a little mad at him for already blabbing to Merle.

“Alright. Well you got the rings, you got our blessing, now you just need to get yourself the girl. I'll go see where my special girl has wandered off to. I'll see you later, son.” Gerald smiled and patted him on the back before he ventured towards the site of the photo shoot to look for his wife.

Teddy came back a couple of minutes later and smiled. “Should have warned you, my father is drunk on happiness today. Don't be surprised when he starts hugging you repeatedly.”

“Avoid yer daddy from now on. Piece'a cake.” Daryl muttered and handed her back her glass.

“Oh and by the way, Merle took off his tie.” Teddy smirked and laughed out loud when Daryl immediately started yanking on his.

“Thank fucking God.” he mumbled under his breath. He took it off and stuffed it into her tiny purse, filling it to the brim, before he handed it back to her with a little relieved smile. “Now we can party.”


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

 

_**5 days earlier (Monday before the wedding)** _

 

_ Daryl was taking Roxy for a walk while Teddy had stayed at home to finish up some paperwork that needed to get done for work. He was lost in thought while he walked, his mind was on Teddy and the thing he'd been thinking about for a little while now. He really wasn't all that surprised that he found himself in front of Gerald and Bernadette's home about half an hour into his walk. It was like his thoughts had steered him into that direction. He wasn't sure if they were home, they spent a lot of time on the farm to prepare for Billy's wedding, but he had to try his luck, not knowing when he would get the chance to come here alone again. _

 

_ He walked up to the door and rang the bell. Rosario opened a short moment later and greeted him with a big smile and a happy twinkle in her eyes. _

 

“ _Hola, Mr. Daryl. No one home, but Mr. Robertson. You here to see him?” she asked with her thick Spanish accent._

 

_ Daryl was about to say yes, when Gerald came walking out of the living room, clearly surprised at seeing his daughter's boyfriend. Roxy walked towards him with her tail wagging and he greeted her by petting her head and scratching behind her ears. _

 

“ _Hello pretty girl, good to see you. Daryl, hi. Come on in. What brings you around?” Gerald was curious what would make Daryl show up to their house all by himself._

 

“ _Was hopin' ta talk to ya. Got a minute?”_

 

“ _Of course, let's go into my office.” Gerald led the way and looked over his shoulder while they walked down the hall. “Everything okay?”_

 

“ _Yeah. All good.” Daryl nodded and headed straight for one of the chairs in front of Gerald's big desk, while the older man fixed them a drink. Daryl was grateful for the whiskey on ice that was handed to him and quickly took a big gulp._

 

“ _So? What did you want to talk about, son?” Gerald smiled at him while Roxy nudged himself between his legs so he would keep petting her._

 

“ _Eerrrm,... I been thinkin' a lot lately. Bout Teddy and me. I know that ya might think this is too early, but ya don't know me. Don't know the way I was 'fore I met her. Never been with someone before. Not like with her. I ain't never had a relationship. Ain't never been in love neither.” he cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. He hated talking about his feelings, especially to someone who wasn't Teddy, but he wanted to do this right._

 

_ Gerald had quickly figured out what Daryl was talking about and why he was talking about it, and he had to fight hard to keep the smirk off his face. He wanted to hear what Daryl had to say. “You know I follow ma gut. It never failed me. I KNOW that Teddy is for me. The one for me, I mean... Even if I ain't the one for her and she moves on one day, I know that I won't ever fall for no one else. So,... “ Daryl took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his thighs nervously. “I'm,... uumm,... I'm askin' for yer permission to marry Teddy.” he blushed hard, but he was proud that he had actually gotten the words out. _

 

_ He looked up at Gerald shyly, clasping his hands and pressing them together between his knees while he waited for a reply. Gerald didn't say anything, but he was smiling broadly at Daryl for a moment, then he got up and walked over to his safe. Daryl worried for a moment that he was getting out a shotgun, but relaxed again, when he watched him take out two little boxes. Gerald sat back down at his desk and opened both ring boxes and looked at the contents with a happy smile. His eyes glistened for a second, before he quickly blinked his tears away. Daryl was confused, not really grasping what was happening, until Gerald turned the boxes, so Daryl was able to see the rings inside of them. _

 

“ _These were my mother's. Her engagement ring and her wedding ring. Teddy's loved these rings ever since she was a little girl. Every time we went to see my mother, Teddy ran up to her and pulled the rings from her finger and put them on her own, and then she'd walk_

_ around the house for hours, holding her hand in the air, so the rings wouldn't fall off and admiring how pretty they looked and how they sparkled in the light. She was so sad when she didn't get them after my mother died. She thinks that her aunt got them, but I've had them all along. I had to promise my mother to hide them from Teddy. She made me promise to hold on to them, made me promise to give them to my future son-in-law to propose to Teddy with, IF I thought he was the right guy for her.” Gerald smiled to himself, still remembering one of the last talks he ever had with his mother before she died, like it had been just yesterday. Daryl held his breath. Did Gerald think he was the right guy, or not? _

 

“ _Did you buy a ring already?” Gerald asked him._

 

“ _No, was plannin' on saving up a little more for a good one.”_

 

“ _You don't have to. I'm sure you would have picked out a beautiful ring for her, but trust me, Daryl, no ring you could ever buy would make her as happy as you giving her these.” Gerald got up and walked around his desk to stand in front of Daryl. He held his hand out to shake Daryl's, who quickly got up and accepted the handshake. Gerald put his other hand on top of their joined ones and exhaled deeply, a big smile spreading his lips._

 

“ _You have my permission, son. And my blessing. I don't think there is another man out there that would ever make my daughter as happy as you make her. I've been a fool once, I know that, but I won't make that mistake twice. You are the man for her, Daryl Dixon. Please accept the rings. They were meant for Teddy. My mother wanted her to get married with them.”_

 

_ Daryl smiled in relief and nodded, quickly taking the little boxes when Gerald handed them to him. “Thanks. But let me pay ya for this. I mean, a guy's supposed ta pay for the rings, right?” _

 

“ _Don't worry about that, Daryl. That's just some mumbo jumbo some greedy person came up with years ago. It's nonsense. To Teddy these will be priceless, whether you paid something for them or not. Save your money, son. I understand you want a house in the woods some day? I am sure each and every penny you can save will help with that. Say, how much money would that cost anyway? Building that house? Have you checked?”_

 

“ _Yeah like 100,000 dollars. That's just pure building cost. Then there's furniture and stuff like that. Would wanna make it real good for Teddy. Guess it would take between 150,000 and 200,000 dollars altogether. Still a long way ta go. Maybe we'll never get there.” Daryl shrugged._

 

“ _Why don't you get a loan from the bank?”_

 

“ _Nah, don't wanna owe no bank. Ain't the way I live. I may be piss poor, but at least I don't owe anybody. Want it ta stay that way and if that means I'll never get that house, then that's the way it's s'pposed to be.” Daryl explained, to which Gerald simply nodded._

 

“ _When do you want to propose?”_

 

“ _Dunno. Ain't in a rush. It's just something I know I wanna do eventually and I guess tonight was a good a night as any to ask ya. Don't get ta catch ya alone all that much with the women around.”_

 

“ _True.” Gerald smiled. “Well, I'm glad you did. I sure appreciate it. Teddy will be very happy. Bernie as well.”_

 

“ _Don't tell anyone, okay? Don't want the word getting out. Wanna surprise her when I'm ready.”_

 

“ _Of course, Daryl. I won't even tell Bernie.”_

 

_ ###### ######## ######## ######## ####### _

 

**Present Day – Billy's and Maggie's wedding**

 

Gerald hadn't kept his word. He hadn't told his wife, but he had told Hershel and Merle and now Gerald kept shooting Daryl all these knowing little glances and grins, like he was saying 'This is gonna be you soon. How do you like it?'. It irked him, he was freaked out that anybody would notice and find out that he wanted to propose and somehow let Teddy know. He didn't even have a plan in mind on when he would do it. Could be next week, could be next year, he would do it whenever he felt like it was the right moment. As soon as someone would tell Teddy that he was going to propose, she would expect it and he would feel pressured to do it sooner rather than later. That was something he wanted to avoid. He knew he wanted to do it, but he wanted to do it in his own time.

 

Thankfully Teddy was way too tipsy to notice her father's looks herself. After she had to witness her father grabbing her mother's ass on the dance floor, she had downed that champagne like a champ to blend out the traumatizing image. Now Daryl found out that alcohol seemed to have a similar effect on Teddy, as it had on her father. The more alcohol she had, the more affectionate and talkative she became. At first it was cute, she was kissing on him and telling him how much she loved him over and over, but now she was getting frisky and it made him uncomfortable, because her sneaky hands were inching closer to areas that were better left untouched in public.

 

His hand clamped down on her wrist when she slid her hand up his inner thigh, stopping her just when her fingertips brushed against his dick. 

 

“Stop.” he told her firmly and stared hard into her eyes, showing her that he wasn't joking around.

 

“Why?” she breathed into his ear and licked along the outer shell. “I want your cock in my mouth so bad right now. I wish I could get on my knees in front of you and lick and kiss your gorgeous dick. I wanna feel the weight of it against my tongue,... feel it throb and spasm when you cum in my mouth, baby.”

 

Daryl released a shuddering breath and shifted slightly on his chair, when his dick started twitching in his dress pants. She was trying to kill him, but there was no way he would let her play that game with people around, who watched them and who would be able to listen in on what she was saying.

 

“I ain't kiddin' around, girl. Stop it.” he growled and tightened his grip on her wrist when she struggled against it.

 

“Hey, why don't you two lovebirds check out the horses up in them stables? Seems like yer girl could use some fresh air.” Merle winked at his younger brother, having witnessed the exchange between them. 

 

“Uuuhh, that's a great idea.” Teddy grinned and pushed her chair back to get up. “Come on, honey. Let's go.” 

 

“Ya can thank me later, lil brother.” Merle chuckled, pretty sure that his brother was about to get lucky in the hay.

 

Daryl fixed him with a glare, but about 15 minutes later he silently did thank him, when he and Teddy got busy in the stables. Merle just smirked when Teddy and Daryl got back and Merle removed a piece of hay from Teddy's hair in passing.

 

“Yer welcome, baby bro.”

 

######## ########## ######### ######### ######## ########

 

4 weeks after the wedding Teddy's office was full of Robertsons. Maggie was 19 weeks pregnant and it was time to find out the sex of the baby. Teddy had tried two weeks before, but the little munchkin had kept that part of its anatomy hidden from view. Maggie and Billy were going crazy, because everybody kept asking them if they were having a boy or a girl and if they should buy pink or blue things for the baby and each and every time they had to say, that they didn't know yet. They wanted to start buying baby stuff themselves, but not knowing what it would be kept them from doing so. Maggie was more relaxed about it than Billy, she wanted to get clothes in neutral colors, but Billy wanted to buy pink things for a girl and blue for a boy, driving Maggie insane.

 

Now it wasn't just Maggie and Teddy who were staring at the monitor, Gerald and Billy had joined them and everyone was holding their breaths in anticipation. Suddenly Gerald slapped his hands down on Teddy's shoulders in excitement, making her yelp in shock.

 

“Do you see it? Teddy, do you see it?” he asked, giddy like a little kid.

 

“Yes, Dad. I see it.”

 

“What? Can you tell what it is?” Billy asked eagerly, while squeezing Maggie's hand hard.

 

“Yes, very clearly. Any preferences?” Teddy asked, keeping up the suspense for the parents-to-be.

 

“No, we don't care as long as it's healthy, now come on. What is it? Boy or girl?” Maggie asked. Teddy grinned and turned the monitor towards them so they could see better and pointed at something on the screen.

 

“That's a penis. Congratulations, guys. You're having a little boy.” Teddy beamed and giggled when she noticed Gerald wiping his eyes. 

 

“A boy? Awesome, that's the best birthday present ever.” Billy grinned and kissed Maggie lovingly. “Thank you, babe.”

 

“Hey, you made him, too. Wasn't just me.” she smiled. “Can we get a picture? My family is going to be so excited. My dad is going to freak out. Finally another boy in the family.”

 

“It's wonderful. I can't wait. Halfway done. Congratulations you two.” Gerald smiled and hugged his son and squeezed Maggie's hand, while Teddy printed out a picture. 

 

“And everything looks just the way it should. He's as healthy as can be and developing just fine. Now you can go and paint the nursery blue and buy blue clothes and toys.” Teddy smiled. She felt a tiny pang of sadness bubble up inside of her, when memories of Milo pushed themselves closer to the surface, but she quickly pushed them back down, not letting anyone see, that it affected her a little bit. 

 

She wiped the ultrasound gel off of Maggie's baby bump and handed Billy the picture of his son. “There you go Daddy. Or you know what? Give it back, I'll keep it until tomorrow and put a bow on it, so I'll have a birthday present for you.”

 

“No way, not giving this away.” he smiled quietly, while he stared down at the black and white image of his child. “And we never give each other anything, remember? Don't have anything for you.”

 

“I know. I don't have anything for you, either. Now get out of here, you two. I'll see you tomorrow.” Teddy hugged Maggie and got a hug from Billy before they left, forcing a smile on her face until they were gone, but the fact was, she suddenly didn't feel like celebrating their 30th birthday anymore. 

 

####### ####### ######## ####### ####### ########

 

Her birthday started with a bang. Quite literally. She woke up to Daryl's gentle hands and soft lips on her body, slowly coaxing her to her first climax, before he buried himself inside of her to the hilt and made love to her.

 

“Happy birthday, darlin'. How's it feel ta be an old woman?” he grinned, when they had regained the ability to talk without gasping for air.

 

“Don't be mean, it's my birthday.” she pouted playfully and Daryl couldn't resist kissing that cute pout right off of her face.

 

“How bout breakfast in bed?” he smiled. “Got something you'll love.”

 

“Really? You can go again already?” she giggled when he swatted her butt lightly.

 

“Get your mind outta the gutter, woman. I mean food. Glazed donuts, chocolate-covered eclairs. Rosario made muffins with a nutella filling...”

 

“Oh my God, you are so evil. You know I'm trying to lose those four pounds I gained because of your stupid cooking. Did you get me new clothes a size bigger to go along with that breakfast?”

 

“Nah, I love how tight yer pants are now. Come on, lighten up. Ya can go back to your precious jogging again tomorrow. Today ya indulge. Already burned some calories just now, didn't we?”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” She sighed and sat up to grab her top from the floor next to the bed.

 

Daryl frowned, not liking the direction this morning was taking. “Hey, what's up with ya? You been fucking moody since yesterday. Is it 'cause yer brother's moving to the farm tomorrow? You still gon' see him all the time.”

 

“I know. That's not it. I don't know, can't I be moody for once?”

 

“Not today, ya can't. Ain't gonna let ya ruin your own birthday. Ya love this birthday shit.”

 

“I love the way you woke me up.” she grinned and threaded her fingers through his hair to pull him closer.

 

“So did I, but we can't be doin' that all day. Got plans, remember?”

 

“Can't we blow those off? I wanna spend the day just with you and Roxy.” she gave him her puppy dog eyes and while he usually gave in whenever she did that, today he couldn't do that for her.

 

“We can't. Yer parents and yer brother wanna celebrate with you. We can go out to the woods during the day, but we gotta go to dinner and the party after. Okay?”

 

“Fine.” He kissed her, wondering what was up with her. His happy mood was ebbing off, because she wasn't happy and now he didn't feel like partying much, either. He only hoped she would be excited about the present he got her. He'd given up hope on ever finding the right thing until she had mentioned something she would want, a couple of weeks ago.

 

He left to get everything from the kitchen, it took him several trips to bring all the things in he'd gotten for her and when he last, but not least came in with a huge box, Teddy's eyes widened in shock.

 

“Please don't tell me there's even more food in there!”

 

“Nonsense.” he smiled and put the big box on her lap. “That's your present. I know it ain't like anything ya did for my birthday, bu-”

 

“Stop.” she cut him off with a finger to his lips. “This isn't a competition. I'll love it, I'm sure.”

 

“Open it.” he urged her and chewed his lip nervously while she practically tore the box apart.

 

“No way. Oh my God, Daryl!!! Seriously?” the first big smile of the day finally found its way to her face, when she pulled the compound bow out of the now shredded cardboard box. “My own bow?”

 

“Ya like it?” he was relieved when he saw her happy smile, pretty sure that he had done right.

 

“Absolutely. I love it. It's beautiful and so cool.” She sat up on her knees and enveloped him in a big hug and kissed him happily. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's awesome. I really wanted one.”

 

“Now you can shoot stuff, too, when we're in the woods. You've become a pretty good shot, maybe you'll bag yerself some squirrel after some target practice.”

 

“Totally. Wow, I'm so excited. I can't wait to get out there. Come on, let's eat, I wanna try this out!” she was giddy, infecting Daryl with her smile and he was relieved. Teddy was happy. Everything was right with the world again.

 

Two hours later Daryl and his two girls were in the woods outside of Jasper and after adjusting the arrow rest and the sight for her, Daryl watched Teddy do some target practice with her new bow. He'd never seen a sexier sight than her shooting that compound bow and sinking arrow after arrow into the tree bark. He had picked the perfect one with just the right draw weight for her to be able to pull back and hold with ease while she took her time to aim. It gave him a great opportunity to let his eyes roam her curves, that had filled out a little bit in the past two months. Life had gotten quieter after the whole Sandra disaster and less stress had Teddy finding back her appetite. She'd skipped jogging in the mornings, preferring staying cuddled up with Daryl in bed for one more hour before she got ready for work. It was barely noticeable if you didn't know her body like Daryl did, but she loved her tight clothes and of course those tight clothes were unforgiving about the weight change, no matter how little she had gained, and it made her freak out a bit. She rode her bicycle to work now and had started jogging again in the mornings. So far only twice a week, but she had vowed to do it at least 4 times. He thought it was silly, he'd told her, too, but she didn't want to hear it. She had to do her thing to feel good inside her own skin and he couldn't argue with that. He didn't want her to suddenly be shy about being naked or shit like that, so he left her be. He was still the luckiest damn bastard in the world to have found a girl that loved her pretty clothes and manicures just as much as she loved going out to the woods to hunt or just hang out with him.

 

After 15 minutes she took a break and shook out her arms, before she slung them around his neck and kissed him lovingly. “Best present ever. I love it so much, it's so much fun to shoot that thing. I feel like a badass.”

 

“Ya look like one, too.” he grinned. “Now we just gotta get ya a nice tattoo of ma name, put ya in some of 'em sexy little Real Tree Camo outfits, and I'll bang ya half ta death.”

 

“You know what? If we blow off the party, we could do all of that tonight.” she tried to convince him again and snaked her hands underneath the black denim fabric of his black sweater to rake her nails down his chest.

 

“Why ya wanna blow off that party so bad?” he asked, while he gently removed her hands from underneath his sweater. Roxy was already getting between them, too, still getting a little jealous when Daryl and Teddy got too close and ignored her.

 

“I don't feel like having so many people around. I would prefer to just have a quiet evening, just the two of us. Three, including Roxy.” she sighed and took a step back while petting their dog's head. 

 

“It ain't just a birthday party, it's kind of a goodbye party for yer brother, too. He's saying goodbye to his bachelor pad and to the town.”

 

“He is still coming here every day to work, Daryl. It's not like he is emigrating.” Teddy argued.

 

“We're going. Just for an hour and if ya still wanna leave, we'll leave. Good Lord, since when are you such a hermit?”

 

“It's the middle of October, it's my lazy time of the year.”

 

“Sure it's not yer time of the month?” he said without thinking and watched her mouth drop open.

 

“You did not just say that! You saying I'm being a bitch?”

 

Daryl winced internally, mentally slapping himself upside the head. “No, that ain't what I meant. Was just joking around. Wasn't a good joke, sorry.”

 

“No it wasn't. You know I had it last week, so it really wasn't a good joke. I'm just not in a super good mood, why is that such a problem? Everyone gets like that at some point, it's not a big deal. Just stop asking about it, alright? It's not helping.”

 

“Alright, fine. I won't ask. Go and shoot some more, maybe that'll help.” he grumbled, not understanding what in the world had crawled up her ass and died. 

 

######## ####### ######## ########## ########## #######

 

Her mood only darkened during birthday dinner with her parents. The only topic of conversation was their new grandson who was currently growing inside of Maggie. Daryl looked at Teddy in surprise.

 

“You didn't tell me that ya found out they were havin' a boy. I assumed ya couldn't tell again, like before.”

 

“Must have slipped my mind.” Teddy shrugged casually and Daryl was about to chew her out for her behavior, when his observant gaze noticed her rubbing the tattoo on her wrist unconsciously. Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fit together in his mind. The whole thing had to bring up memories for her. Probably some painful ones. That's why she wanted to skip the whole celebration and be alone with him, because everybody would be talking about the baby boy. He pushed down his own feelings of discomfort at engaging in PDA in front of her family and grasped her chin in his hand and pulled her face towards his own, giving her a big and loving kiss. That was such a rare sight to all of them, that they all stopped in mid-sentence for a second and looked at them, the women were barely able to keep in their “aaaaaawwww” and the men quickly picked the conversation back up, before one of them slipped up.

 

“I'm here for ya if ya need ta talk, girl. It's gon' be alright. We can deal with this. He's gonna be a part of our lives, too.” Daryl whispered against her lips before he kissed her again and then leaned his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes.

 

Teddy's eyes watered, she was once again overwhelmed by her love for Daryl and she was in awe of how he was always able to figure out what was going on with her and find the right words when she needed to hear them.

 

“I know. I'll be fine. Didn't think I would feel this sad, but I guess I do need some time to adjust and get used to another little boy coming into this family. I'm happy for them, I truly am, it's just so many memories coming up right now.”she whispered back, not wanting the others to hear about her struggling a little with the news. She had assured Billy and Maggie that they wouldn't have to worry about her feelings in all of this and she had truly believed she would be fine, but apparently her brain had some other ideas right now. She just needed some time to get through all the memories that were playing in front of her inner eye like a movie. How she had found out that she was having a boy, how she had bought those first things, how she had put the nursery together, how she had had a baby shower... 

 

“Maybe ya should refer Maggie to another doctor?” Daryl suggested.

 

“No. I want to do this for her. I think it will be good for me, too. I just need to work through this, just like I had to back then in therapy. That's all. I just need some time.”

 

“Okay.” Daryl nodded and kissed her once more. His hopes of ever having a child with her were sinking, though. If she was freaking out over Maggie and Billy having a baby boy, she probably wouldn't be able to handle if she had another one herself.

 

####### ####### ####### ####### ####### #######

 

Thank God the day after Teddy's and Billy's birthday was a Sunday or Teddy wouldn't have been able to go to work. She had the hangovers of all hangovers. Despite Daryl continuously telling her to take it easy, she had bonded quick and hard with a bottle of whiskey. She had already thrown up and Daryl had forced her to eat a nice and greasy breakfast, so she would start to feel better and after she had a full belly, he'd given her painkillers for her head and had drawn a bath for the both of them.

 

Teddy was sitting between Daryl's legs in the heavenly and comfortingly hot water, hugging her knees and resting her cheek on top of them, while Daryl expertly massaged her neck and shoulders. She moaned and groaned while he worked the kinks out of her stiff muscles with his thumbs, reveling in the feeling of her headache slowly vanishing into thin air. 

 

“Never thought the cliché was true, but mechanics really are very good with their hands.” she murmured, while Daryl moved his thumbs to the strings of muscles left and right to her spine.

 

“Should'a listened to me, woman. Ya wouldn't feel this shitty if ya had.” he said quietly and dug his thumbs into a particularly hard knot, making her wince while he tried to get it to loosen up a bit.

 

“I know, but sometimes a girl just needs to get drunk to forget about stuff. Just couldn't stand to listen to all those people gushing about the baby any longer.”

 

“Wanna talk to me 'bout it?” 

 

“It hurts more than I thought it would. I've been through therapy, I was able to deal with the memories, I was able to talk about him and look at pictures without bursting into tears. I really thought I would be okay with this, but somehow it's different now. It's not just memories now, he's gonna be a real little person and I guess it makes it all more real again and I'm scared for them, that something is gonna go wrong and that they will have to go through the same thing I did.”

 

“Ya said it wasn't likely, though.”

 

“Yes, that's right, it's not likely, but it's not impossible either, Daryl.”

 

Daryl didn't say anything, but he stopped massaging her back and just gently stroked his warm hands over the soft skin of her back. He took a deep breath, trying to ease the sadness that was spreading through his body, when he realized that what he had feared would happen, was coming true.

 

“We ain't ever gonna have kids. Are we?” he asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

 

“I don't think so, baby. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do it.” she felt like shit, but she knew that it was his one dream she wouldn't be able to make come true for him.

 

“It's okay.” Daryl pulled her back against his chest and tilted her face up to kiss her. “I mean it. I ain't gonna lie, I'm disappointed, but it's gon' be okay. I wouldn't want ya ta be like this for the whole pregnancy or maybe even for years to come. We can be happy without havin' kids. We got our girl and we'll get a cat for you and they'll just be our kids.”

 

“I'm scared that you'll hate me one day for not giving you what you want.” she told him while she brushed some hair out of his eyes, wanting to be able to see them fully while they had this talk. His eyes always showed how he really felt. 

 

“Could never hate ya. I mean it when I say that ya mean everythin' to me. You're the most important person in ma life. I'll be happy as long as I have you around. You're all I need. Kids would have been a bonus, but in the end, YOU are all I need. Trust me on that, okay?”

 

“Okay.” she sighed into the kiss she got, her heart starting to feel a bit lighter, because she knew he wouldn't lie to her about things like that. Still, a little bit of worry remained, because Teddy knew better than anyone, that sometimes, you couldn't help how you felt. He could promise her to never hate her, but in the end, he still might feel resentment towards her anyway.

 

“What do you wanna do today?” Daryl asked to change the topic.

 

“Absolutely nothing. I wish we could go back to the woods, do some more target practice, but I don't think my body is ready for that today.” she sighed and closed her eyes when she snuggled herself more comfortably into his chest. Suddenly her eyes popped back open and she smiled. “I have an idea. Have you ever planned your house?”

 

“Planned ma house?” he asked, not sure what exactly she meant by that.

 

“Yeah, like how many rooms you wanna have and what you want them to look like, what kind of kitchen you want, what kind of garden, all that stuff.” she explained, her bubbly demeanor returning, because she was getting excited by her own idea.

 

“No, always figured it would be a one-bedroom-cabin or something. I knew I was gonna make it bigger, now that we'd both live there, but I never spent time thinking about the details.”

 

“We should do that today. It's fun, let's just make a list of things we'd both want the house to have. Yeah?” she was giving him her big happy smile and he couldn't ever say no to that. Also, he had to admit that it did sound like fun to imagine what it could all look like.

 

“Fine, let's do it. But we gotta get out of here first. Sit up.” he gently pushed her from his body, so he could get out of the tub. He grabbed a towel and slung it around his hips, before he held another one out for her, wrapping it around her body, when she had gotten out of the bath as well.

 

Half an hour later they were cuddled up on the couch and Teddy was writing down things on a notepad. They agreed on a fire place in the living room and Teddy wanted a second one in the bedroom, thinking it would be nice if they would be able to make love in their own bed in front of the fireplace. Daryl wasn't able to argue with that explanation. They wanted a big kitchen with a breakfast bar and a separate dining room. Teddy wanted a bathroom with a bathtub that was also a jacuzzi. Daryl didn't think they'd ever have the money to splurge on luxuries like that, but it was a nice fantasy. 

 

“You know what? I think we should plan for worst case scenarios, too. You like being self-sufficient, don't you? Why don't we plan for solar panels on the roof and instead of a regular basement, we could kind of turn it into a concrete shelter? Make it big enough to hide out in for a couple of days and have a nice stock of food down there as well? We can grow things in the garden and can it and store it and when the next tornado comes around, we'd be safe down there.” Teddy was talking animatedly, already writing it down on the list.

 

“Sounds like a good idea, babe, but we both work full time and we're busy a lot. Who'd have time to tend to that garden all the time? And can all that food? You ain't good at kitchen stuff. I'd have ta do it all and then we'd never ever spend time together no more, 'cept when we're asleep.”

 

“Yeah true, but this is our fantasy house, right? In our fantasy we could do it all and still spend tons of time together.” she giggled and poked him in the ribs with her pen, when he rolled his eyes. “I'm kidding. Guess it wouldn't work, but we could buy stuff and stock it in the basement, how about that?”

 

“Sounds more like it. Solar panels is a good idea, though. Should definitely look into that.” 

 

“And I need a little office. Uh, a combined office/library/reading room, yeah, definitely want that.” Teddy scribbled it down, smirking when she heard Daryl scoff.

 

“You're gon' make me build a damn mansion, aren't ya?”

 

“Oh come on, it's not that bad. This would be our home for the rest of our lives, Daryl. Gotta make it just right.”

 

“Yeah, s'ppose yer right.” he agreed, but deep down he knew they'd never get the money to make it that big and get everything they wanted.

 

######## ####### ######## ######## ######## ########

 

Monday morning Teddy was feeling good again and got up at 5 am to go jogging before work. Daryl groaned when she wriggled out of his grasp and pouted.

 

“Stay. C'mon, ya don't gotta do this. We can stay in here for another hour.”

 

“Tomorrow, I promise, but today I am already up and motivated to go. Just go back to sleep, baby.” She kissed him and quickly got dressed in her jogging attire and greeted Roxy, before putting the harness on her. Her morning jog would serve as Roxy's morning walk, giving Daryl even more time to stay in bed. “Be back in an hour.” she kissed him again and then took off with their dog by her side.

 

Daryl just grunted his reply while he turned over in bed, trying to get comfortable without her there, a task that always seemed sheer impossible. This morning turned out to be no different, so after five minutes of tossing and turning he got out of bed and trudged into the bathroom to take his shower.

 

Twenty minutes later he was dressed for work and making coffee, when he heard a weirdly familiar noise. He wasn't able to place it at first, didn't even know where exactly it came from, but when it hadn't stopped after a couple of minutes, he listened more closely and went to the kitchen window to investigate. He wasn't able to see anything, the window was at the side of the building and not facing the front, but he could definitely tell, that the noise came from outside and from the front of the building. He opened the window and poked his head out to be able to listen better and that's when he realized how he knew the noise. He quickly grabbed his keys, left the apartment and jogged towards the front door of the building. He tore it open and his blood ran cold when Roxy bumped into him, whining frantically and now that she saw her Daddy, she was getting even louder.

 

Daryl felt himself shaking when he reached out with unsteady hands and put them on Roxy's head, panic rising inside of him, when he looked out into the street, but didn't see a sign of Teddy being near.

 

“Roxy? Where's momma?”

 

Roxy tore out of his grasp and ran toward the street before turning around and running a couple of steps towards him again, whimpering and barking all the while and Daryl didn't waste any time and started running with her, letting Roxy guide him. Fear was gripping him and he hoped to God that Roxy had just been a bad dog and torn herself loose from Teddy and had run home. She had to come running towards them any minute, he kept thinking, she just had to. Anything else was just unimaginable.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“TEDDY? TEDDY!!!”

Teddy moaned when she heard her name being called in the distance, waking her, but she was barely able to open her eyes, something kept pulling her back towards the blissful darkness.

“Daryl? Did you hog the blanket again? I'm so cold.” in her mind she was saying the words perfectly clear, but in reality they were slurred and mumbled and Daryl, in his panicked frenzy, had a hard time registering what she was saying. His hands were hovering over her body helplessly, he was too afraid to touch and maybe hurt her. Did she say she was cold? Yes, she's shaking, that's what she must have said then. Daryl quickly unbuttoned his long-sleeved flannel and tore it off his body, to cover Teddy's. The shirt wouldn't offer much warmth, but it was something. Daryl shivered when he was hit with the cold. It was the end of October and six o'clock in the morning, it was pretty much freezing out. He didn't care about himself, though, his love was injured and freezing.

“Darlin', are you hurtin'? Are you in pain?” If he had been in less of a panic he would have known that it was a stupid question, but he was out of his mind with worry in that moment. She was laying on her side and her right arm was bent behind her at an unnatural angle. She was bleeding from her forehead, too. He wanted to roll her on her back and gather her into his arms, but he knew he might do even more damage if he did that. 

Teddy groaned when she tried to move, her eyes screwing shut tightly when a wave of pain rolled through her head.

“Did I fall out of bed? I'm hurting all over...” she trailed off, letting the darkness pull her in only too gladly. 

'Phone,... phone... phone...' Daryl kept thinking while he patted down his pants pockets, but of course he hadn't taken his phone with him, when he had rushed to the front of the building. He carefully patted down Teddy's pockets, trying to find hers.

'Please don't be broken, please don't be broken...' he chanted over and over in his head, when he felt her cell phone in the pocket of her hoodie and pulled it out. The display was smashed, but when he called 911 thankfully the call still went through. He forced himself to remain as calm as possible and tried to answer the operator's questions as best as he could with his brain being in a big jumble. 

“Stay with me, babe. Don't fall asleep. Are ya warmer now?” Daryl tried to keep her conscious, fighting the urge to touch her and hold her in his arms. Roxy kept whimpering and restlessly pacing next to where Teddy was laying on the leaf-covered ground.

“Still cold. AC too high.” Teddy muttered, wishing he would pick her up and lift her up into bed and into his warm arms.

Daryl's teeth started chattering, the cold finally getting to him. The wife beater he had worn underneath the shirt clung to his back uncomfortably. He'd been sweating while he'd run behind Roxy to find Teddy and now the fabric was wet and ice-cold and sticking to his skin. 

“Will get better soon, girl, just hang on. Roxy, stay with momma. You're such a good girl. Such a damn good girl, yer gon' get a big ass steak tonight. You did good. Stay with momma now, okay? I gotta go up to the road and wait for the ambulance.” He kissed Roxy's head and bent over Teddy, wanting to kiss her as well, but stopping himself once more. “I'll be right back, Teddy. Don't you fall asleep, girl. Roxy is with ya, alright? I'll be right back.”

He reluctantly tore himself away from her and ran back up the little hill she had tumbled down, looking back every couple of steps to reassure himself that she was still there and still breathing. He felt so helpless, he wanted to scream. Usually he was pretty good at staying calm and being able to think clearly in situations like this, but this was Teddy. He was always scared of losing her and this was a shock to his system, that he could lose her just by her going freaking jogging.

He was relieved when he heard sirens nearing and when he finally saw them, he jumped into the street and waved his arms around to draw their attention. The next couple of minutes were a blur, he just stared at Teddy's pale face the whole time while the paramedics tended to her. He got his shirt back, but it didn't do anything to ease the icy cold inside his body. When Teddy whimpered in pain, when her arm was moved, it felt like his heart got yanked out of his chest. He faintly heard the men say something about a concussion and a dislocated shoulder and that they were going to take her to the hospital now. Daryl wanted to ride with them, but he couldn't, because of Roxy. He knew putting up a fight would only waste time, so when the ambulance took off with Teddy, he ran back home with Roxy as fast as he could. He took her into the apartment, quickly grabbing his own phone from the dresser, finally being able to think a bit more clearly. He called Bernadette and Gerald to inform them about Teddy being transported to the hospital right now, and Bernadette promised to come to the hospital right away. 

Bernadette and Daryl arrived on the parking lot of the hospital pretty much simultaneously. He just got out of his truck, when he saw Bernadette rushing towards him.

“Oh my God, Daryl, is she gonna be okay? How did this happen? Did she get hit by a car?”

“Dunno. She was completely out of it, she thought she was still at home in bed. I think she's got a concussion, and her arm is all fucked up.”

“You weren't with her? How did you know she was out there?” Bernadette was confused, Daryl had only told her that Teddy had an accident while being out for a run, and that she was on the way to the hospital.

“Roxy came running back to get me. Thank God she took her with her for the run. She led me to her. She was at the bottom of a hill off of Burnt Mountain Road. I don't know if she got hit by a car or if she just took a fall, I don't know.” Daryl felt tears stinging his eyes, he just wanted to get to Teddy and hear from a doctor that she was gonna be alright, instead of answering Bernadette's questions. 

“Let's find out. Thank God for Roxy. That sweet little girl is gonna get the biggest treat of her young life.” Teddy's mother said under her breath while she and Daryl walked into the hospital to find Teddy and find out how she was doing.

######## ####### ####### ###### ####### ######

A concussion, a dislocated shoulder, bruised ribs and a couple of bumps and bruises, that's what the doctor told them after an eternity of waiting. There was no internal bleeding, no broken bones and her brain was doing fine as well. If someone would be able to constantly watch her for the next 24 to 48 hours, they were allowed to take her home.

Daryl was more than a little relieved when Teddy was wheeled towards them, and he saw her smiling tiredly at them. Her shoulder had been reset and her right arm was tucked against her body and wrapped up tightly to immobilize it. She was supposed to rest for a week and should be feeling better by then. The shoulder would probably take a week or two longer to feel better. Daryl leaned down and kissed her, not caring about people watching in that moment. He didn't say anything, he just looked at her, studying her for a moment and brushing his thumb over her cheek before he straightened and took her uninjured hand in his while the nurse wheeled her towards the exit. 

“Oh honey, you gave us quite the scare. I'm so glad you are alright. What happened?” Bernadette asked her, but Teddy didn't have an answer for her.

“I don't know, Mom. I don't remember. All I remember is running one minute and waking up in the hospital the next.”

“Is that normal, that she don't remember?” Daryl frowned at the nurse, who was pushing the wheelchair.

“Yes, that's quite common, don't worry.” she smiled reassuringly at him, putting him at ease a little.

When they reached the exit and Teddy got out of the wheelchair with slightly wobbly legs, Daryl didn't waste any time to do what he'd wanted to do for hours: he quickly lifted her into his arms bridal style and carried her towards his truck.

“Baby, I'm not an invalid, I can walk.” Teddy smiled, but Daryl ignored her statement.

“For God's sakes, let the man carry you, Theodora. Be glad that you have a man, who actually wants to do that.” Bernadette told her daughter, thinking that Teddy should have said thank you instead of 'I can walk'.

“Yes, mother.” Teddy sighed, wishing she would black out again. Her mother really knew how to make a person feel better. 

They reached the truck and Bernadette opened the door so Daryl could deposit Teddy in the passenger side seat. Daryl carefully secured the seat belt around her, before closing the door.

“Alright. You heard what the doctor said, keep a close eye on her. I'll be over tomorrow morning and stay with her while you're at work. I'll go see Gerald now and tell him what's going on.” Bernadette rattled off, while she handed Daryl back his car keys.

“Okay, thanks. See ya tomorrow then.” Bernadette hugged him, having been tempted to do so all morning, the poor man had been shaking at one point, he'd been so worried. “Don't worry, she will be alright. And if anything happens you call and we'll be there in five minutes.”

“I will.” Daryl gave her a forced little smile and then rushed over to the driver's side, anxious to finally take Teddy home and tuck her into bed and watch her like a hawk.

####### ####### ####### ####### ####### #######

“Ya really don't remember what happened?” Daryl and Teddy were in their bedroom half an hour later, where she was resting comfortably in their bed with Daryl laying next to her on his side, burrowing his hand underneath the blanket to let his fingers stroke along her uninjured arm.

“No. It's like I said, one moment I was jogging, the next I woke up with the mother of all headaches in the hospital.”

“Ya don't remember how I found ya neither? You were conscious then.”

“No, I don't remember, baby.”

“Did ya slip? Someone push ya? It was no car, the doctor said you'd be hurt worse.” Daryl couldn't stop thinking about what might have happened. He hated not knowing for sure. If someone was walking around town attacking women, he would never let her out of his sight again. Hell, he would probably never let her out of his sight again not matter what. Thank God she had Roxy with her. If she hadn't come to get Daryl, it might have taken hours for him to find her and she might have died from hypothermia or something.

“I don't know, Daryl. I wish I could tell you what happened, but I literally can't.”

“Scared the shit outta me, woman. Seeing you laying there, bleedin' and with yer arm bent like that.... Ya were really out of it, I was scared ya had brain damage or something. That ya wouldn't remember me or anythin' else.”

“I'm fine, honey. I feel like shit, but I'll be fine. That will probably change tomorrow, though. What the hell am I supposed to do? I am not allowed to watch TV or be on the laptop or read and my mother is going to be here for about 9 hours. I cannot listen to her talk for 9 hours, Daryl. I might jump out the window.” Teddy whined, wishing she would have someone else around to watch over her.

“Sorry, darlin'. I can't stay with ya, you know that. Mike is cool, but not THAT cool and I can't afford to lose pay or ma job.”

“I know, honey. I wouldn't want you to risk you job for me. I'll survive. Don't know how yet, but I'll think of something.” Teddy sighed deeply. She thought about taking a sleeping pill and knock herself out that way for the majority of the day. Or she should just pretend to sleep, anything to get her mother off her back.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” Daryl shot up into a sitting position, when he noticed Teddy squirming her way out of bed.

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Hold on.” Daryl got out of bed and walked over to her side, lifting a protesting Teddy back into his arms.

“No. Daryl, let me down. Come on, you know I love when you carry me, but you can't do it all the time now. My legs work just fine.”

“Don't care. I'mma do this. Ain't no way I'm gon' let ya walk around by yourself today.” He carried her to the bathroom and sat her down on her feet in front of the toilet. “You're gonna need help anyway or do ya think you'll be able to get yer pants down and back up properly with one hand taped to your body?”

Teddy's eyes widened when she realized, that he was right. “Oh great. You're gonna have to pull my pants up like I'm a little kid. Awesome, that's not embarrassing at all.”

“It ain't. Don't be a baby. I undress ya pretty much every day.”

“That's different. Remind me to put on a skirt and no underwear tomorrow.”

“We gonna do this now or we gonna keep talking until ya pee yer pants?” Daryl was growing impatient. Finally she really needed him and he would be able to take care of her outside of their bedroom activities, and she was hating it and fighting him on it.

“Yeah, fine.” she muttered grumpily and pushed down the left side of her pants and panties with her good hand, while Daryl took care of the other side.

“What are you waiting for?” She asked when he didn't leave.

“What do ya think I'm waiting for? Come on, go ahead and get it over with so I can get ya back in bed.”

“Out!”

“Woman, what's the big deal? I'm taking a piss all the time when you're in here.”

“Out!”

“Ain't leavin' ya out of my sight today.”

“DARYL!”

“Fine. Rotten woman. Such a baby.” he muttered under his breath while he walked out of the bathroom, closing the door a little louder than he'd really have to. A sigh of relief rushed out of Teddy's lungs, glad to have a moment to herself. She felt like shit and she wanted to cry. Arguing with Daryl was the last thing she needed right now, but she still had her limits and being on the toilet in front of him was one of the things she would never want to do.

She finished her business and pulled up her pants as far as she got. Even though she was tempted to just walk out instead of calling for Daryl and have him carry her again, she didn't want to start up another argument, so she let him do for her what he wanted to. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that he must have been worried sick. She knew she would have been if the roles had been reversed. She would carry him everywhere too, if she'd be physically able to. She no longer argued with anything and let him pamper her and after a couple of hours she even thought of it as really cute how he was running around and kept fluffing her pillow and kept bringing her cold beverages and little snacks. For the most part he just kept her company. She wasn't allowed to watch or read anything, so talking or sleeping was the only option to entertain herself.

“I wish we wouldn't have planned our dream house yesterday. That would have been a great activity for today.” Teddy said, after she woke up from a nap later that afternoon.

“Yeah, true.” Daryl agreed and tried to come up with something they could do. “Ya know what? Yer gon' be home for about two weeks. Maybe when your head feels better, we should go to the shelter and get a cat for ya. That way he or she can settle in and get used to ya for a week.”

“I like the way you think.” Teddy smiled, liking the idea very much. “Uh, let's plan what we need to get for the kitty.”

“Alright, I'm gonna get a pen and paper. Want some more 7Up?”

“Yes. Please.” Daryl gave her a little peck on the lips before he went to the kitchen to get the items and when he came back he sat cross-legged next to her and put the notepad on his lap. “Okay, shoot.”

“A couple of bowls for food and water.”

“Got it. Litter box.” Daryl wrote down Teddy's items and added his own suggestion.

“Right. Two or three beds. And a scratching post or maybe two.”

“Some toys?” 

“Yeah, although when I had a cat a couple of years ago, she loved playing with stuff like drinking straws. I made a knot in the middle or I'd knot together a couple of them and make a little star out of it and she loved chasing that around. The same with balls made out of aluminum foil. But I guess it won't hurt to get some toys from the pet store anyway.”

“Ya had a cat?”

“Yeah. Didn't I tell you?”

“Nah. Just said ya might wanna get one.”

“Hm. Anyway. I think that's it. Of course we need food and treats, but I guess the people at the shelter will tell us what he or she likes when we get him or her. No need to buy it now. We can just use a can of tuna at first.”

“Sounds good.” Daryl said and sighed when they were done with their list in under five minutes. “Well, that didn't take long.”

“No it didn't.” Teddy laughed, but winced when she did it. The effect of the pain killers were ebbing off and she was starting to feel her injuries more and more.

“I hope my dad will be here soon with some good meds.”

Daryl put the notepad on his night stand and laid back down on his side next to her. He gently stroked his fingers over her cheek. “Pain getting' worse?”

“Yeah, painkillers aren't working anymore.”

“It's five pm already. I'm sure he'll be here soon. Shit, girl. I hate seein' ya like this. Tears ma heart out.”

“I know. Would be the same for me if you'd be the injured one. You're probably suffering more than I am, aren't you?” She smiled and lifted her good hand to push some hair out of his eyes.

“Ain't gonna lie, I'm gonna have nightmares 'bout today. Won't ever forget the sight of you layin' there. Fucking awful, couldn't think straight.”

“I'm sorry for worrying you.”

“Stop. Ya don't have to apologize for anythin'. Just so fucking glad that our girl is so damn smart.”

“She did good.”

“Hell yeah she did. Gonna get a steak dinner for that. Kinda feel bad that I let yer momma take her, but I didn't wanna leave ya alone for her walks.”

“I'm sure she'll forgive you. My parents spoil her rotten every time she's there. Don't worry about a thing.” Teddy smiled and let her hand wander to the back of his neck to pull him closer for a kiss. She wished he could hug her properly and that she would be able to snuggle up into his arms, but unfortunately it hurt her too much. She'd have to seek comfort from little touches and kisses, which kind of sucked.

######## ####### ####### ####### ####### #######

They barely slept that night, so the next day when her mother watched her, she took a ton of naps, not even needing the sleeping pill. She was barely able to keep her eyes open, when Billy came to visit after work, she just kept dozing off. On the third day she started to feel better and moved around the apartment a bit and no longer stayed in bed all day. Daryl would have liked for her to do that, very much, but she was going stir-crazy from just laying around all day. Loading the dishwasher made her feel at least a little bit useful, but she found that she got exhausted pretty quickly, so she took it easy.

That night, shortly after she had fallen asleep, she woke up from the sound of Daryl coughing repeatedly. He also kept tossing and turning and pulling the covers up to his chin. It didn't take long until she heard his scratchy voice speak up.

“Damn, woman. Did ya crank up the A/C even higher? I can't get fucking warm at all.”

“I actually turned it down.” She frowned and reached out to touch his forehead. “Oh baby, you're burning up.”

“Nah, ain't possible. I'm freezin' ta death over here.”

“Yeah, you're definitely running a fever.” Teddy said while she turned on the light on her nightstand, before she carefully got up and slowly walked to her office to get her bag. She sat back down in bed and put it next to her. She opened it and got out the ear thermometer . She pushed it into Daryl's ear and had her assumption confirmed when she looked at the display after the second beeping sound. “Oh yeah, we are looking at 103.8, baby. You're sick. With a fever that high you might have the flu. Your throat hurt?”

“Yeah, started around lunch time. Didn't even smoke the rest of the day, 'cause it made me cough like crazy.”

“Why didn't you say anything when you came home?”

“Didn't think much of it. Don't get sick that much. Must have happened when I found ya. Took ma shirt off to cover you and I was sweatin' from running.” he told her and broke out into a little coughing fit right after. 

“I don't think you got it from that. You get the flu from a virus and not from sweating in the cold. Someone at work sick?”

“Wade.”

“There you have it. But don't you worry, I'll take good care of you.”

“Yer supposed ta rest. I'm s'pposed ta take care of you, remember?” he rasped, but his tone wasn't nearly as forceful as usual.

“We'll take care of each other. That's how it's supposed to be, my love. And I can still rest AND take care of you.” She wouldn't say it out loud, but she was kind of excited. She was sorry that he was sick, but now she'd have company, because there was no way he'd be going to work like that for the rest of the week. Teddy got back up and went to the kitchen. When she returned about 15 minutes later she set down a mug on his nightstand. 

“What's that?”

“It's sage tea with honey. It's good for the throat and you need to drink plenty of fluids. I'll text my mom and have her bring some of Rosario's chicken soup tomorrow. Want some Advil? Fever in general is good, because it fights off the virus, but I think it would be better if you'd stop tossing and turning and would get some rest instead, hm?”

“You're the doc. Whatever ya say.” he groaned while he sat up. His whole body ached, he felt like he never ever wanted to move again.

“Okay, I'll get some.” she went to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and got some Advil and a cough suppressant for him. She always kept her medicine cabinet well stocked and had all kinds of cold meds and remedies around to ease the symptoms. Daryl was in luck there. He took the Advil and drank his tea. He wanted to scold her for moving around so much, but he found that he couldn't. He was damn grateful for that tea. It made is dry and achy throat feel better and the hot liquid felt weirdly soothing. After he had emptied the whole mug he took the cough depressant and laid back down. He still had to cough a little over the course of the night, but at least he got a couple of hours of sleep after the Advil had kicked in.

###### ####### ###### ####### ####### ##### ######

“Oh look at my sick babies. Oh my little angels, you're so precious.” 

Bernadette was WAY too happy, when she entered Daryl's and Teddy's bedroom the next morning. She had read Teddy's message early in the morning and had brought everything they'd need. She had let herself in, figuring that neither of them felt well enough to open the door for her. The sight of the two disheveled, sleepy and grumpy adults was just adorable. 

“Why is she yelling?” Daryl grumbled and turned on his stomach, hiding his face in his pillow.

“Mom, don't think we don't appreciate you helping us out, but we both have headaches. Please, a liiiittle quieter?” Teddy instinctively reached out and threaded her fingers through Daryl's hair to comfort him, while Bernadette smiled sheepishly.

“I'm sorry, dear. I forgot. It is a little exciting to have you both sick. It's like when you and Billy used to have a cold and would both be cuddled up in bed together watching cartoons and letting me pamper you.”

“Yeah, you were good at that.” Teddy smiled. It was the times when she and Billy got sick, that Bernadette took time out of her busy schedule to tend to her twins instead of letting the nanny handle it.

“Alright. I'll make some fruit juice popsicles for Daryl and his sore throat and then I'll make you some breakfast.”

“I'll help you.” Teddy said and moved to get out of bed, but Bernadette quickly protested.

“Nonsense. You two stay in here and rest. Let me do it, it's what I'm here for.”

“Alright. Thanks, Mom.” Teddy gave her mother a grateful smile, before turning her attention back to her boyfriend. “How are you doing, sweetheart?”

“Ain't never felt this shitty all ma life.” came the mumbled reply from the depths of his pillow.

“Body still achy?”

“Yup.”

“Throat still hurt?”

“Yup. And my nose feels funny. On the inside, all the way back, kinda.”

“Yeah, thought that would happen. Grab the thermometer and take your temperature, okay?”

Daryl rolled over with a groan and looked at his nightstand, but the thermometer wasn't there. “Ain't here.”

“No it's over here on my side.”

“That's so fucking far. Can't ya just touch ma forehead and guess?” he complained, making Teddy sputter out a laugh and she slapped his ass lightly, when he got on all fours and slowly crawled halfway over her to get the thermometer.

“Hey, watch it. Ya don't hurt the sick.”

“Come on, I barely touched you.” she giggled and watched him with a very amused expression when he tried to take his own temperature. He pushed the button and just two seconds later the thermometer beeped and displayed an error message. He kept doing it over and over until he kept repeatedly pushing the button in anger. “Stupid fucking thing. Ain't workin'.”

Teddy gently pried it out of his hands and smirked. “Here, you press it into your ear and THEN you push the button. It's down to 101.7, but from experience it will probably go back up over the course of the day.”

“Awesome. How are you doing? Pain any better?” his mood softened a little and he turned on his side and scooted a little closer, putting his hand low on her belly so he wouldn't accidentally touch her bruised ribs. Teddy's fingers immediately sought out his hair again and played with it gently, making his eyes droop again.

“Yeah, still have a headache, but I'll take something for it after breakfast. Should help my shoulder, too. Feels pretty sore, but that's to be expected I guess.”

“Yeah. Yer momma gonna stay the whole week?”

“Kind of, but she'll probably be in the kitchen all day to make us some nice treats. She is a really good nurse where this cold and flu stuff is concerned. She makes these Popsicles out of fruit juice, you're gonna love them, they are so good for your throat and at the same time they keep you hydrated.”

“What's she makin' now? I don't think I can eat anythin'.”

“You have to eat, honey. I know it sucks, but you'll feel better after you've eaten. Mom makes stuff that will help you. Trust me, you'll feel a lot better by tomorrow night.”

“Yeah. And if I don't ya have permission ta shoot me.” 

“Hm, might do more damage. My aim is a little off right now, remember?” Teddy smiled and gently scratched his scalp. Once again she hated that she couldn't hug him properly.

“And here we go, turkey sandwich and some fruit for my sick and injured angels.” Bernadette carried in a tray loaded with plates, bowls and mugs and a big thermos. “That's your tea, you have to drink a lot of it. But don't worry, you can have juice and water as well. I know you probably don't feel like eating, but please do, your body needs it. Teddy, here's your coffee and a pill for your headache.”

“Thanks Mom, that's great. Aren't you gonna eat with us?”

“No, I'm going to head out and get everything for the chicken soup. Rosario is a miracle worker, but she is not a God. She didn't have time to shop for the ingredients and make the soup, so I will do it myself. I will be back before you know it. You two just eat and drink up.”

She left and after about five minutes of coaxing from Teddy, Daryl forced himself to sit up. The sandwich looked delicious, but he still had his doubts that he would be able to swallow it with his sore throat. He drank some tea first, before he took his first bite, a little groan escaping him.

“That cranberry sauce on there?”

“Yeah, it's good, isn't it?”

“It's fucking awesome.” He figured that Bernadette really knew what she was doing. It tasted so good that he couldn't get enough and ended up eating the whole thing. Clever woman. It hit the spot and he had to admit he did feel a bit better with a full belly. He leaned back against the headboard and slowly sipped his tea. “She's really gotta cook awesome shit for us and we can stay in bed all day?”

“Yep.”

“Hm. Could get used ta that.” Daryl smiled a little and leaned over to kiss Teddy's good shoulder. His good mood didn't last too long, though. Like Teddy had predicted he started feeling worse again after lunch, when the fever spiked. He felt miserable. First he was freezing cold and then he felt like he was burning up, only to feel cold again half an hour later. Bernadette put cold leg compresses on him to bring the fever down and of course she had to do it while he had one of the freezing spells, which brought forth an extremely grumpy, but also extremely cute Daryl.

“Ya ain't s'pposed ta torture the sick. Why ya gotta make me even more cold when I can't get warm in the first place?” he pouted with a big scowl on his face, only making Bernadette laugh and pinch his cheek.

“Relax, it will feel good soon. Take your meds, sweetie and I'll bring you some juice.” Bernadette chirped with a smile, before she left the room. She just loved this whole situation to death. Teddy laughed, making Daryl scowl even more.

“The fuck are you laughin' at?”

“Sorry. It's kinda fun to see that you're just human after all.” Teddy grinned.

“The hell is that supposed ta mean?”

“You've always been Superman to me. It's kinda nice to see a bit of Clark Kent in there, too.”

“I'm not even gonna... Good Lord just hit me over the head with a hammer so I can sleep.”

“Can't do that, but I'll get out of your hair for a bit.”

“What?”

“I'll go out and take a little walk. I need some fresh air. I'm going crazy in here.” Teddy swung her legs out of bed and scooted to the edge. “MOOOOOOM, can you help me put my shoes on?”

Daryl flinched when Teddy yelled for her mother and flopped on his back, putting his hand on his forehead and muttering under his breath. “These women are killin' me.”

“You'll feel better tomorrow and then you can yell for her, and the kicker? You can ask for pretty much anything and she will go get it for you. Watch!”

Bernadette came in and put Teddy's sneakers on her daughter's feet and Teddy smiled. “Thanks Mom. Hey do we have any chocolate pudding? I would love some with whipped cream on top.”

“I didn't bring any, but don't you worry, I'll whip some up while you're out.” She smiled and looked over at Daryl with a frown. “Daryl, sweetheart, what are you doing?”

“If she goes for a walk, I go for a walk. She ain't goin' alone. We still don't know what happened when she had her accident.” he croaked while he got out of bed.

“No, you're not ready for a walk, baby. You need one more day. I'll be fine, you can't accompany me everywhere from now on.”

“Watch me.”

“Daryl, stop it. You get back in that bed, mister. I mean it. We can't have you collapsing. Teddy will be fine. I know you're worried, but it's like she said, you can't go everywhere with her and you can't protect her from everything, darling. Bed! Now!” Bernadette gently pushed Daryl back down, but he just looked up at her stubbornly and didn't budge. Bernadette wasn't impressed and just stared right back. Their staring match lasted for quite a while until Daryl huffed and laid back down.

“Fine. But if anything happens to her, it's on you. I'll never forgive ya, just so ya know.”

“I am well aware of that.” Bernadette smiled sweetly and tucked him in. Teddy had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep in her laughter. Sick and grumpy Daryl was too cute. She walked around to his side of the bed and took his hand in hers, kissing the back of it gently.

“I'll be back before you know it. Drink your juice and try to sleep a little.”

“You be careful, okay? Promise me you'll walk real slow and stay away from the street.”

“I promise.”

Teddy left and of course everything went well and she was back at the apartment half an hour later. When Daryl woke up from his nap he was relieved to see that she was back and his mood lightened a little.

“I'm jus' worried.”

“I know, my love, but I'm fine.”

“Don't ever wanna feel like the way I did, when I found ya, again. Couldn't stand it. Love ya too much, ya know that.”

“I know. Same here.”

“Whatever happens, I gotta die first. Don't wanna live without ya no more. Promise me.” Daryl looked up at her pleadingly. Teddy knew it had to be his flu-addled brain talking for the most part and he would feel silly later for practically telling her to make sure that he would die first, but she nodded with a gentle smile on her face and squeezed his hand, calming him down with her answer.

“I promise. I won't ever leave you alone.”

It was probably a good thing that Daryl had no idea, that the next health scare involving his woman, was already lurking in the not too distant future, or else he would have had a nervous breakdown right then and there.

###### ###### ###### ######## ###### ##### #######

After three weeks Teddy's shoulder was freed from the sling she had grown to hate with a passion and she started physical therapy and returned to work, but she was still in some pain when she moved her arm too much. In mid-December Daryl wanted to go deer hunting and take Teddy with him, but unfortunately when she tried to draw back the string of her bow, it still hurt her and they agreed that it would be best if she stayed home.

Even though she knew that it was better this way, she was still sad about it. She had been looking forward to sharing the experience with him and now that stupid accident prevented her from doing so. She was disgruntled and bored, so she decided to do something and probably infuriating herself even more. It was Christmas time, and while she wasn't one for decorating, she still liked cookies and she decided that she would try making some. She looked for a recipe online and decided on chewy chocolate chip cookies as they looked easy enough to make. They would probably turn out horribly, but at least it was something to do.

When Daryl came back home late that afternoon, he entered the kitchen with a frown.

“Something smells good.”

“I know, right??? I tried making cookies.” Teddy beamed. She had tried one earlier and it hadn't been bad. Finally she would be able to make a little sweet treat for Daryl every now and then.

“Let's hope they taste as good as they smell.” he winked and kissed her lovingly before he put a big plastic bag on the counter.

“Uhhhh, you got one?” Teddy smiled proudly and looked into the plastic bag. In there were more, smaller bags filled with meat.

“Hell yeah I did. Took the rest to yer folks, their freezer is ten times bigger than ours.”

“Wanna make some of it for dinner?”

“Yeah, here put this in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. I'm gonna take a shower real quick, kay?”

“Okay, baby.” Daryl kissed her once more, but what was supposed to be a little peck turned into a toe-curling kiss, when he wasn't able to pull away. He grabbed her hips and pulled her against him, letting his tongue push between her lips to glide along hers. He groaned quietly into the kiss when she sucked on his tongue and squeezed her hard, before he pulled away with a purely male smirk. It made Teddy giggle and she knew she was in for a good night. A successful hunt always made him horny as fuck and he practically oozed testosterone, even more than usual.

He took his shower while Teddy made them coffee and put two plates of cookies on the table. As soon as he came back into the kitchen, his eyes fell on the cookies and he scoffed.

“We expectin' a giant for coffee?”

Teddy's smile faltered a little. Sure they had turned out way too big, because she had forgotten to use a tea spoon instead of a table spoon for heaping the dough onto the baking sheet, so a single cookie was as big as half the plate, but that didn't mean they had to taste bad.

“Just try them. I liked them.”

“Ya used ta eat yer own cooking all the time, too.” Daryl grinned and took a sip of coffee first, before he reached for a cookie. “Hm, yeah, they ain't bad.”

“But?” Teddy sighed in disappointment, her good mood rushing right out the window when his expression clearly said that he wasn't much of a fan of her cookies.

“Too much sugar. Don't taste much else. But for your standards they're really good.” he said while he dropped the rest of the cookie back on the plate and leaned back against the back of the chair with his coffee mug in hand.

“Oh. Thanks.” Teddy said dejectedly.

“What's wrong?” Daryl asked when he noticed her mood change.

“Nothing. Just another thing I suck at.”

“Come on, they don't suck, I just don't like 'em that much. Ya want me ta lie?”

“No. It's okay, it's not your fault. You can't help if you don't like them. I just gotta start accepting that there's nothing I'm really good at.”

“That ain't true, girl.” Daryl told her and watched her take the plates from the table and dump the cookies in the trash. 

“Oh yeah? Then tell me. What am I good at?” she asked upset, as the plates clattered into the sink. “Cooking? Cleaning? Laundry? Ironing? Our clothes have even more wrinkles in them after I'm done with them. I've got a newsflash for you, Daryl. Out of the two of us, YOU'RE the domestic goddess. I don't contribute at all, I can't do nothing right. So what the fuck am I good at exactly?”

“Makin' me happy.” Daryl stated calmly and it shut Teddy right up. “Ya make me happy, girl, and where I'm concerned, that's all ya need ta contribute for the rest of our lives.”

Teddy wiped at her eyes, where tears had pooled after his statement and laughed softly. “You're an ass. Now you're making me cry again. Stupid redneck.” She turned around to grab a paper towel to dry her face with, while Daryl opened the cabinet where they kept their store-bought cookies.

“So what about you?” he asked after a moment of silence. Teddy felt him come closer and turned around to face him.

“What about me?” Teddy asked slightly confused. Daryl kissed her and smiled.

“Ya willing to put up with all my shit for the rest of yer life?”

“You know I am.” she replied with a smile. 

“Then how 'bout we make it official?” he asked casually and held up her grandmother's engagement ring so she could see it. Then he held his breath, while his insides were shaking from being so nervous.

Teddy's mouth dropped open and she reflexively covered it with her hand while tears started flowing down her cheeks without her being able to control it.

“Oh my God,... That's not possible... That's.... my grandmother's... h-how?”

“Your daddy had them all along, girl. Your grandma made him promise ta hide them from you and give 'em to the right guy.” he sounded breathless, his nervousness was growing with each second.

“You went to my Dad?” Teddy couldn't think straight, she was completely overwhelmed with what was happening. Never in a million years had she expected this.

“Yeah. Asked him for permission. He gave us his blessing and the rings.”

“Rings? You have her wedding ring, too?”

“Yeah.” he swallowed. “But ya only get that if ya say yes, you know?” he laughed nervously and finally Teddy snapped out of it and remembered that he had actually asked her to marry him.

“Oh shit, sorry! Yes!” she slapped her own forehead and laughed slightly embarrassed that she was so out of it. “Yes.”

“Yeah? Ya sure?” Daryl grinned while the breath he'd been holding rushed out of him.

“Hell yeah. Let's make it official. Now gimme my damn ring.” she giggled through her tears and when Daryl put it on her finger, a new rush of wetness flowed from her eyes and down her face. She looked at her hand and shook her head with a laugh. “Shit, it's so beautiful.”

“Ya didn't say yes just so you'd get the rings, did ya?”

“Shut up. Of course not.” She smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I said yes so I'd get you.”

“Good.” Daryl smiled and put his arms around her to pull her flush against his body. “Cause now yer really gon' be stuck with me forever.” he murmured against her lips, before his mouth slanted over hers and they shared their first passionate kiss as an engaged couple.

###### ####### ####### ###### ####### ######

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check the story's tumblr for a glimpse of Teddy's ring
> 
> inthelittletownofjasper.tumblr.com


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“This wasn't supposed to be YOUR playtime.” Daryl hissed and groaned as Teddy's teeth tugged gently on his right nipple. “Don't wanna cum already.”

“Very cute.” Teddy smirked and let her lips trail over to his left nipple, leaving little wet spots on the way, when her tongue flicked against his skin occasionally. “But don't act like you only get it up once a day.” she winked and tightened her grip on his wrists, keeping his arms pinned to the bed, before she lowered her mouth and caressed his nipple with her tongue. Daryl's back arched involuntarily and a quiet groan rumbled in the depths of his throat at her ministrations. Both knew that he would be able to free himself from her grip in less than a second, but he let her do her thing. Most of the time he craved being in control, but sometimes it felt nice to hand over the reigns to her and let her show him just how much she appreciated him.

“Got plans for ya.” he breathed out sharply, when he felt the sting of a little bite on his sensitive flesh, which made his cock grow even larger inside his black boxer briefs.

“We got all night. Wanna make my future husband feel good, before you start screwing my brains out.” she grinned happily and let her gaze wander from his eyes down to her hand that had relinquished its hold on Daryl's wrist and was sliding up his arm. She admired the ring once more. She had missed seeing it so much in the past ten years. She had been heartbroken when she had found out that her grandmother had left them to her aunt. She couldn't believe that the sneaky old lady had given them to Gerald, so Teddy would be surprised by her future husband one day, by having him give them to her. It was still so surreal, but the evidence that Daryl had proposed to her earlier was right there, glinting in the sunlight that was streaming through the window.

She wasn't able to stop watching her own hand glide over Daryl's body, not only was she enamored with the ring, but she was also enamored with the fact that it was now the symbol that she was going to be his forever. She barely registered what she was doing, but at the same time, she was extremely aware that she was doing it all for the first time again, the first time being his fiancee. Her fingers teasingly trailed along the waistband of his boxer briefs, making him suck in his stomach reflexively. The shape of his massive erection was prominently outlined by the tight cotton fabric of his underwear and she had the fingers of her left hand trace it slowly, almost reverently.

“Ya ain't lookin' at ma dick, are ya?” She heard amusement, but also pride in his strained voice and she looked up at him smilingly.

“Is it that obvious?”

“I know ya better than anyone, woman. Yer still here, doin' yer thing, but yer head is distracted by that ring.”

“Sorry. Better do something that will distract me from my ring a little, huh?” she grinned mischievously.

Daryl nodded and frantically chewed his bottom lip while he watched her lift the waistband of his boxers away from his body to let his erection jump free from its confines. She must have given him head a hundred times by now, but he was still excited like it was the very first time, every time she did it. Probably, because she was always genuinely excited and enthusiastic to do it for him. He lifted his hips off the bed when Teddy tugged on his briefs and let her take them off all the way. 

“Mmmm, already leaking. I love it when you come home from a hunt. Always so horny, aren't you, baby?” she murmured in a sultry voice, while her lips ghosted along the length of his shaft. 

“Mhm.” Daryl grunted and threaded his fingers through her wild locks, tugging her closer to the tip of his dick. 

“Ah ah ah,... none of that, sweetie. MY playtime, remember? Hands off or I'll tie them to the bed.” Daryl's eyes widened at her statement, a strange pull tightening his stomach. He wasn't sure if he was apprehensive or turned on by that image that presented itself inside his head. Maybe it was a little bit of both. He licked his lips nervously, when curiosity also rose inside of him.

“Wanna tie me up, huh? Have yer way with me?”

“Crossed my mind a time or two.” she grinned, before she licked along the seam that ran along the middle of his scrotum and let her nails gently rake down over the top of his thighs. His breath came out in a hiss, while his muscles tensed and he arched his pelvis towards her mouth.

“What would ya do?” he asked next. If tying him up had crossed her mind, he was curious whether or not she had already come up with something she wanted to try out while she had him at her mercy.

“A little bit of this.” she smirked and sucked one testicle into her mouth, making Daryl groan her name, while she gently massaged it with her tongue. “And some of this.” she let the flat of her tongue glide up his shaft until she reached his frenulum, which she flicked with the tip of her tongue, already tasting pre-cum that was starting to run down his tip. “Probably a bit of this, as well.” she muttered before her tongue swirled all around his tip for a moment, before she closed her lips around the head and gave him a nice little suck. Daryl was clenching the sheets in a death grip at her teasing. He'd already been riled up by his successful hunt and it wouldn't need very much more at all to make him cum. He didn't want this to be over yet, he loved having her mouth on him and he wanted to be able to hold on a little longer.

“But most of all, I'd test out how my vibrator would work on your cock and balls.” she smiled casually, getting a kick out of how sharply his gaze snapped from her mouth up to her eyes and how his dick twitched in her hand, a fresh flow of pre-cum hitting her lips. “Mmmm, you like that thought, don't you?”

“Fuck, darlin'.” Daryl was speechless for a moment. Once again he was confused about his feelings, but there was no denying, that he was turned on by it, just as much as the idea of the whole thing made him nervous. He knew how strong the vibrations were, he really wasn't sure if he'd be able to take it at all. “You'd fuckin' kill me with that thing. Prolly way too much fer me ta handle.”

“Who knows...” Teddy grinned and started pumping his length, while she let her mouth focus on his tip, sucking and licking, just the way he liked it. A strangled groan escaped his mouth as his eyes fell shut and he let himself go, letting the sensations take over. His breathing picked up and his hips started undulating while Teddy brought him closer and closer to climax. When little noises started coming out of his mouth more frequently, she knew he was very close and she quickly brought two fingers to the spot, that always gave him an extra kick.

“Yesss...” he hissed in anticipation when he felt her go there and only seconds later, he was a goner.

“Cummin'...” he bit out, but if he had wanted to warn her, it was too late. The first spurt was already erupting from his cock before he had finished saying it. Teddy didn't mind and he knew that, yet he still kept warning her every time. It was adorable. She swallowed quickly and gently kept sucking until he was spent and too sensitive to be able to take any more touching for the time being. He grasped her chin and pulled her up, giving her a little peck on the lips, before his head fell back against the pillow again and he tried to catch his breath. 

Teddy leaned over him until she was able to reach his nightstand and Daryl watched her with a look of surprise on his face, when she lit a cigarette for him and held it against his lips.

“Ya hate when I smoke in here.”

“It's a special occasion. Don't get used to it, though.” she smiled and covered them both with a blanket. Daryl wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, kissing the top of her head before he took a drag from his smoke.

“How 'bout the first week in January?” he asked a while later, making Teddy look up at him questioningly.

“What?”

“Gettin' hitched. First week in January. Whaddaya say?”

“That's in three weeks, Daryl.”

“I know how ta read a calendar. I know it's in three weeks, girl.”

“Okay, so the vibe I'm getting here is courthouse wedding? Because you know there is no way in hell to plan a big wedding within three weeks.”

“Exactly. Why? You want a big wedding like yer brother and Maggie? Ya said yerself, that ya wouldn't want a ton of people watchin' us say our vows and shit like that.”

“True. Who would we invite anyway? I don't have any friends here... I should really work on changing that, by the way. We aren't close to the rest of our family, so it would only be my folks. Billy, Maggie, Merle and that's it. I'm not gonna let my mom invite a bunch of her charity/country club people just to fill the seats.”

“I'd cancel the whole fucking thing if she'd invite people we don't even know.” Daryl scoffed and put out his cigarette in the glass of water on her nightstand, since they had no ashtray in the bedroom. Teddy was just about to complain, when she realized that there really had been no other option for him, so she kept her mouth shut and took note to remind herself not to drink from the glass.

“Okay. Courthouse it is. You really wanna do it that soon?”

“Why not? Explain ta me the sense in waiting another three months or whatever, if we ain't plannin' anything big anyway.”

“I don't know. I guess it's just because society has all these rules of how you are supposed to wait a certain amount of time...”

“Yeah well, society is stupid. We been together 8 months now and I knew I wanted ta do this with you after 8 hours. Where I'm concerned I waited long enough.” Daryl stated forcefully and Teddy laughed out loud.

“You're really cute, you know that? You have that whole redneck romance thing down pat.” Teddy giggled and kissed him soundly. “I think you have a point. In the end it doesn't even matter how long we wait. There's never any guarantees, no matter if you wait 8 weeks, 8 months or even 8 years. There are couples who got married after three months and they were together until the day they died and then there are couples who waited 10 years to get married and got divorced after three months. We can do a courthouse wedding. We can still do a big church wedding in a couple of years or so, if we feel like it...”

“Right. Ya can wear a real wedding dress to a courthouse wedding, right?” he wondered out loud. He would actually like to see her wearing one like you see on TV.

“I could, but I wouldn't want to.” Teddy's reply made him frown.

“Why not?”

“In case we ever decide to have a church wedding after all.”

“That mean I won't have to wear a suit?” The possibility of getting married in his usual clothes made him perk up.

“Oh hell no. You're definitely gonna wear a suit, baby. It's still a wedding. I'm gonna find a cute dress and you're getting a suit.”

“Hm.”

“Hm? You wanna get married and want me to wear a wedding gown to the courthouse, but you don't wanna wear a suit?” Teddy let out an incredulous laugh.

“Hate suits and ties and all that shit.”

“Compromise, baby. You wanna marry me, you're gonna do it the right way. I love you and I don't mind doing every other thing the unconventional way, but let's do this one by the book, okay? For me?” she gave him puppy dog eyes. He was powerless against her puppy dog eyes. Always has been and always will be. Who was he kidding? Puppy dog eyes or not, he would do pretty much anything for her.

“Fine. For you.” he relented. “What about yer last name. Gon' change it ta mine? Would probably just hurt yer reputation even more if ya did.”

“Daryl, this is Jasper. People already know we're together and the ones who don't want to get treated by me have already been staying away. The ones that stayed sure aren't gonna change their mind just because we made it official. I'll definitely change my name to Dixon. Dr. Dixon,... kinda sounds like a porn name.” she laughed and Daryl had to agree.

“Yeah, kinda does. Teddy Dixon also sounds like some old fuck from the country club that plays golf and drinks Arnold Palmer's all day.” he smirked and tickled her ribs when she pouted.

“Awesome, not exactly giving off the sexy young wife vibe, then, am I?”

“Maybe not to others, but you takin' ma name is the best thing ever ta me.”

“You're gonna make me cry again.” she kissed his lips sweetly and sighed happily, her eyes full of unshed tears. “I love you so much. I don't think you'll ever have any idea how freaking much. Not ever. You're so gorgeous. So fucking handsome, and your smile makes the sun pale in comparison. It all makes me stop breathing when I look at you sometimes.”

“Teddy...” he murmured bashfully and averted his gaze.

“I told you when we first started dating, that you would have to learn to live with the compliments.” she smiled and moved to straddle his belly. She put her hand over his heart and kissed his heated cheek. “You're even more beautiful in here. You can be the most obnoxious and angry redneck on the planet, but you still have the most beautiful heart and soul I've ever experienced. I'll be so proud to be your wife. So proud that you chose me. I never needed anyone, but I need you, and I'm happy to be needing you... if that makes any sense at all...”

“It does to me...” Daryl swallowed hard, his own emotions and feelings for her overwhelming him. He wasn't able to stop the tear that rolled down his cheek from spilling over, but it was okay. Teddy was allowed to see his weaknesses. Not that his love for her was a weakness, but he was taught that crying in any form was a weakness. He wasn't ashamed to cry in front of her though, never had been. He felt safe with her. One of the many reasons why he would marry that woman.

###### ####### ####### ######## ######## ########

The big reveal was going to happen on Family Dinner Wednesday. Since Billy had moved to live with Maggie on the Greene's farm, family dinner usually only consisted of Teddy, Daryl, Bernadette and Gerald. Maggie and Billy only attended every other week, but this week they were going to be there. Daryl was a bit nervous, not sure how everyone would react, although he'd like to think that everybody would have positive feelings about it.

They had wanted to wait with their announcement until after dinner, both sure that nobody would notice the ring on Teddy's finger until then, because Maggie was going to be there and her belly was usually the attention catcher. That was why they looked at each other at a loss for words for a moment, when Billy piped up, while they were still eating.

“Ain't that grandma's ring??? What the hell are you doing with it? Thought Aunt Sheila had that.” he asked with a frown and while Daryl and Teddy stared at each other, the sound of silverware clattering as it hit the table echoed through the spacious room, followed by a big gasp.

“No! NOOO! Oh my God, you didn't!!!” Bernadette was shouting, clutching her hands over her heart first, before they went to her mouth, while tears pooled in her eyes. She wasn't sad or angry, though. She was so excited she was speechless. Gerald smiled big and put his hand on his wife's arm, trying to calm her down, while Maggie and Billy looked at them in confusion.

“You didn't what?” Billy asked and Teddy knew that it was time to fill them in.

“Well, I have this ring, because Aunt Sheila actually never had it. Dad did. He gave them to Daryl, because he asked me to marry him and I said yes.”

“Oh Teddy...” her mother was nearly wailing and she got up from her chair and walked over to the newly engaged couple and pulled her daughter up from her chair to hug her tightly. “I'm so happy. I had lost hope of ever seeing my daughter walk down the aisle.”

Teddy was just about to respond, but her brother's voice made her freeze.

“That was fast.” he stated, and he did not sound particularly happy. Maggie's words got stuck in her throat and she looked at her husband in surprise.

“Billy...”

“Don't Billy me. I'm sick and tired of you trying to get me to keep my opinions to myself.”

Everyone gaped at Billy, no one really understanding what the hell was happening. Teddy found her voice first while she disentangled herself from Bernadette's embrace.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? You don't talk to your wife like that! What's your damn problem here? You got something to say?”

“Damn right I got something to say. First off, you two barely know each other. It's way too soon for you to get engaged. What's the fucking rush? You pregnant or something? Probably, because I can't ever have anything for myself, right? I get married, you gotta get married too. We're having a baby, so you're gotta have one, too? And you...” he turned his attention to his father. “You had the rings all along? Why the fuck didn't you give them to me? Maybe I would have wanted to give them to Maggie.”

“They weren't meant for you, Billy. Your grandmother wanted Teddy to have them when she would get married. And you better change your tone and get a grip on yourself. This is no way to talk to anyone of us.”

“Oh right, I forgot.” Billy laughed sarcastically. “It's Teddy first, always. Everything is meant for Teddy. Teddy always gets everything she wants served on a silver platter. Nothing's ever meant for Billy, it's always just Teddy, Teddy, Teddy. Maybe that's why she's never been able to keep her shit together, because you were always there to help her out. You, dear sister of mine, never had to experience the hard side of life. Always living with your head in the damn clouds, not being able to do anything but sit on your ass and look pretty. Sure that's who you wanna marry, Daryl? 'Cause one thing is for certain, her looks will go away one day and then, what do you have?”

“You better watch your mouth or I'll stomp yer ass into the ground.” Daryl threatened in a deadly low growl.

“Fuck you!” Billy spat and stormed out of the room, leaving his crying wife behind.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” Maggie tried to stay strong, but her pregnancy hormones had her crying easily these days. Everyone was shocked at what had just transpired and was rooted to their spot. All except for Gerald, who had the wherewithal to sit down next to Maggie and pull her into his arms to comfort her. “He's been like this for a couple of weeks. Always blowing up at every little thing.”

“It's true. Been the same at work.” Daryl said, making Teddy look at him surprised.

“Why didn't you say anything?”

“Dunno. He never dared to go off on me before. Thought he might have beef with the others somehow.”

“What's going on?” Gerald asked his daughter-in-law gently. “Are you having problems?”

“Maybe. I don't know. He is just so stressed out and just impatient and has a temper lately. But he's not talking to me about it and I'm worried that everything is falling apart. That maybe he doesn't want all this anymore.” Maggie sobbed, scared to death that her marriage might already be over after just three months.

“I don't think that's it. He loves you dearly, Maggie.” Gerald tried to calm her down and Teddy quickly agreed.

“He's right, I don't think that's it either. Billy doesn't just explode like this out of thin air. It happens when he keeps stuff bottled up for some time. I'll talk to him, but he's gotta calm down first.” Teddy promised.

“I'm so sorry he ruined this night for you. I'm happy for you two. I think it's the right thing to do. If you know, you know.” Maggie cried.

“Oh sweetie, don't you worry about a thing. It's not your fault.” Teddy walked over to Maggie's chair and hugged her and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, though. Let's keep eating everybody, give him some time to calm down.” Teddy forced a smile and walked back to her chair. After sitting down she kissed Daryl, who was still scowling unhappily, knowing for sure that Billy had hurt Teddy deeply. He wanted to kill the younger man with his bare hands and make him hurt, too.

“You knew?” Bernadette asked Gerald, once they were all seated again.

“Yes, Daryl asked for Teddy's hand in marriage. That's when I gave him the rings. I was wondering when you'd finally do it. I'm very happy that you finally did.” Gerald nodded at Daryl smilingly.

“And you didn't tell me?” Bernadette was only mildly offended.

“You can't keep a secret, dear. I love you, but you really can't. Teddy would have known within a day and I promised Daryl to keep it a secret.”

“I guess it is true. I would have been too excited.” Bernadette agreed. “Oh this is going to be so exciting. We have to put our heads together and start figuring some things out. You can't start planning too early. Oh Teddy, you are going to be such a beautiful bride. We will find just the perfect dress for you.” 

“Actually, Mom... We won't.” Teddy said carefully.

“Oh, you already have one?”

“No. Well, maybe, but uhm... I won't be needing a real wedding dress. Daryl and I will just go down to the courthouse in January and get married there.”

“No. No no no no no! You can't do that. No, that's not right. You have to have a real wedding.” Bernadette protested, not able to believe that she wouldn't see her daughter being walked down the aisle by Gerald after all.

“It will be a real wedding, Mom. Just not in a church with a ton of people or a party after. It will be a quick and quiet affair.” Teddy said. Somehow the words sounded bad to her own ears, but it's what she and Daryl had agreed on. He was uncomfortable standing in front of a lot of people and she wanted them both to enjoy their wedding day. She was a little bit sad that they wouldn't have a traditional wedding with her wearing a beautiful wedding gown, but still, she wouldn't want Daryl to force himself to do something he wasn't okay with. She would be okay with both options.

“That's disappointing.” Bernadette sighed and Gerald had to nod in agreement. He was disappointed that he wouldn't see his daughter in the fairytale wedding she had planned when she had been a little girl, wearing her grandmothers rings. 

“Why should Billy get to be the only one to disappoint you tonight?” Teddy said curtly in reply, before she got up. “Which reminds me. I'll go find him.”

Awkward silence filled the room and she was glad to be able to leave. She found her brother smoking on the steps that led down from the porch. Tears were staining his cheeks, making Teddy's mood soften. She sat down next to him on the top step and wrapped both her arms around one of his.

“What's up, Billy Goat? Why are you so stressed out lately?”

“Living on that damn farm is killing me. I love her family. All of them, Hershel, Shawn, Beth,... but they are always up in each other's business. You can't be alone on that farm, there is always someone around, offering advice and talking and talking and talking. It's so different from our family. We love each other, we all know that, but we know that distance makes the heart grow fonder. We talk every other day on the phone, we see each other about once a week, but that's it. We fight, we sort our shit out, we make up and we move on until the next fight. Everything there is just so,... I don't know. Too harmonious? And they are just always together. You know how often I've seen my wife alone? Just the two of us in those three months? Once? Maybe twice?”

“You wanted to live there, Billy.”

“I know. And I still want to live there. I want our son to grow up the way she did, but I wish there was a way to just have a little house for just the three of us. You know, like Merle's cabin, a little distance from the main house, but still on the farm.”

“Why don't you just tell her that, Billy? You always do this. You don't wanna hurt anyone, so you keep stuffing your feelings down until you explode and hurt everybody even more than you would have, if you had just talked about it in the first place.”

“I don't want her to think I hate it there.”

“She won't. I'm sure she'll understand. She knows how our family is. Maybe you will find a way, maybe Hershel is willing to have a little house built? You won't know unless you talk to your wife and father-in-law about it.”

“Yeah. Guess you are right. The damn commute is also pissing me off. I'm used to being at work within five minutes. Now I spend over an hour each day driving back and forth. I hate it.”

“Then you will have to find another job in Elijay, Billy. It's all you can do.”

“I'm so fucking anxious. I'm worried all the time. The bigger she gets, the more I freak out.” Billy sniffed and wiped his tears away angrily with the back of his hand. “The whole home birth thing,... I'm just not cool with that. So fucking far away from a hospital...”

“You worry too much. Maggie and your son are in perfect health. I know that a home birth is a bit riskier than giving birth in a hospital, but it's what she wants. You can't try to change her mind about it or be mad at her for her decision. She has to be the one that has to be as comfortable as possible in that situation and she wants to give birth in the comfort of her own home with the family there. You have to accept and support that, no matter how hard it is for you. You have to suck it up and be there for her instead of giving her hell about it. I've done a lot of home births, I know what I'm doing and I promise you I'll do everything in my power to make sure that your family will be just fine. Alright?”

“Fine. Now get your wife and take her home.” Teddy broke their contact and got up. “Also, don't fucking call me until you're ready to apologize.”

“Still mad then, yeah?”

“I love you, but you have to be a fool to think I'd forgive you for the things you said, just because you were stressed out. I know you meant what you said, and it's not okay. Grow up.” Teddy had the ability to turn her anger off for a couple of minutes to talk some sense into her brother, but that didn't mean that all was forgiven. She was hurt and mad and she wouldn't talk to him again until he'd apologize.

###### ####### ####### ####### ###### ####### ######

“Daryl, hand me the ratcheting box wrench?” Billy looked up from the engine he was working on and held his hand out, waiting for Daryl to hand him the tool. Daryl grabbed the wrench in question and tossed it carelessly in Billy's direction, not even really looking where it went. Billy was barely able to catch it and it hit him in the chest.

“Hey, watch it, man!” Billy complained.

“Why? That hurt?” Daryl's voice was gruff, but he asked it pretty conversationally.

“Right, I get it. Payback for going off on you, yes?”

“Nah, not even close.” Daryl shook his head, still keeping his back turned on his future brother-in-law.

“Look. What happened back there, the things that were said, that's between me and my sister, okay? No need for you to get involved.”

Daryl scoffed and shook his head in disbelief. “That's where you're wrong. You hurt ma woman, you make it ma business. You acted like a whiny little bitch. Ya dealt low blows, real low blows and it was fucking uncalled for. Ya wanna be mad at someone, be mad at yer parents and yer grandma. They were the ones that gave her the rings, paid for school and shit like that. Don't take it out on her. Be glad that I didn't get ma hands on you last night. I would've beat your ass into the ground. Ya made Teddy feel bad about having something, that she wanted to have her whole life. She was out of her freaking mind with happiness, because she got that ring and now she's cryin' and feelin' guilty for having it, because you were being a petty little shit. You never wanted those rings in yer life. You're just jealous. I still wanna fucking kill ya right now, so don't bother talking ta me until ya made things right with yer sister.” Daryl finally turned around to walk past him, but stopped when he was right next to him and looked him dead in the eyes. “And if ya ever talk to her like that again and I hear about it, there's nowhere you can hide from me.”

####### ####### ######## ######## ####### #######

One week later on Christmas Eve, Teddy finally got her cat. They got it from a senior citizen of Jasper, who had put an ad in the paper. He was moving out of his house and into a nursing home and couldn't take his cat Snoopy with him. Since he had no family, he would have to give Snoopy to a shelter, if nobody wanted him. Teddy contacted him and asked him a couple of questions. The most important thing to know was, if Snoopy got along with dogs and if he was an indoor cat. The owner told her that he had also had a dog for many years, but the dog had died a couple of months ago and Snoopy missed his companion. He would be happy to be with another dog. Snoopy was already 8 years old and a calm, quiet and cuddly indoor cat, that was happy as long as it had food and someone to love him and play with him occasionally.

Teddy and Daryl went over there to meet Snoopy, and it was love on first sight... between Daryl and Snoopy. Daryl had told the owner that they would take him and give him a new home, before Teddy even had the chance to say anything. Sure, she had instantly fallen in love with the big black fur-ball as well, but Daryl hadn't even known that, before he'd announced that they would take him with them. The cat was supposed to be for her, but in the end it looked like it had been more for Daryl. It was okay for Teddy, though. Snoopy cuddled with her, too and would spend most nights curled up in the crook between Teddy's neck and shoulder, while Daryl was slung around her like a kraken with his head on her chest. Only poor Roxy had to sleep in her own bed, because she was just too big to fit.

Teddy got a kick out of watching Daryl with Snoopy and Roxy. He was like a happy little boy in a candy store, that had been given a free pass to eat anything he'd want to. It had taken a week to get Roxy and Snoopy used to one another, but then they were inseparable and Roxy was always careful around the much smaller cat. It was adorable to watch. Teddy felt that Snoopy really made their little family complete. They now had a boy and a girl and everyone loved each other dearly. 

On New Year's Eve, when Daryl came home from getting some champagne to drink at midnight, which they had forgotten during their shopping trip, he was immediately greeted by their two pets. He cuddled Roxy, before he scooped Snoopy up in his arms and walked to the kitchen, where Teddy was going through some paperwork. It was only five days until they would get married and they had to get their papers in order.

“Hey.” she smiled up at him, her smile turning into a big happy grin, when she watched Snoopy turn his head and press it into the crook of Daryl's neck. Daryl looked down at him and nuzzled his ear.

“Almost done with everything?” he asked quietly against Snoopy's soft black fur.

“Yeah, just one last form and we have everything we need. Just need to get you some shoes on Friday or Saturday.”

“What's wrong with my boots?”

“Daryl, don't start another discussion about the damn wedding clothes. Half a day in a suit and dress shoes won't kill you.” she winked with a smile.

“I'll look stupid.”

“No, you'll look incredibly handsome.”

“Nobody's gonna look at me, anyway.”

“I will, baby.” Teddy laughed and put an end to the discussion, since Daryl really couldn't argue with that. She jumped in shock the next second, when Roxy barked up at Snoopy, who was looking down at her over Daryl's shoulder and it made the cat startle as well. Snoopy scrambled over to Daryl's other shoulder, sinking his claws through Daryl's thin t-shirt and into his skin in his haste. Daryl's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, tongue sticking out slightly, like he was choking, but he was actually smiling and laughing.

“Hey, keep it down you two.” He smiled his big smile while he hugged Snoopy to his body and turned around to smile down at Roxy. “Hush, we're in enough trouble with them damn neighbors as it is.” He put Snoopy down on the floor and finally took of his warm coat, while Teddy watched on with a dreamy smile.

“You are just so cute.”

“Still no second thoughts, then?” he asked while he pulled her up from her chair and grabbed the back of her thighs, lifting her into his arms and setting her down on the counter.

“Never.” she grinned and kissed along his jaw, while his fingers sneaked underneath her sweater and skimmed over the warm, soft skin of her back.

“How bout some practice for the wedding night?” he grinned and briefly caught her bottom lip between his teeth to suck on it.

“Do you think you are still gonna want me this much, once I'm the old ball and chain?” 

“Girl, I'll probably want you even more, 'cause then you're officially mine, and in case ya haven't noticed, I kinda get off on that.”

“Oh you're right, now that you mentioned it...” She giggled and kissed him hotly, letting her tongue roam into his mouth. Daryl picked her back up and carried her into the bedroom, slamming the door close behind them. The kids didn't need to see how Momma and Daddy get busy.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Teddy had just come out of the shower when she heard a loud knock on the front door. She quickly put her robe on and ushered Snoopy away from the door, so he wouldn't run outside. When she finally opened the door, she found Billy leaning casually against the doorjamb.

“Took you long enough.” Teddy huffed and turned around to walk into the living room. “Seriously? You need 10 days now to get over yourself and come here to apologize?”

“I was busy and I don't exactly live next door anymore.” Billy sighed, already feeling like turning around and leaving, but what had he expected? To have her welcome him with open arms?

“Right... But you don't exactly live hours and hours away and you're in Jasper every goddamn day.”

“Teddy, stop. I'm here now, okay? Daryl not around?”

“No. He's over at Mom and Dad's, having Mom trim his hair a little.”

“Brave man. She wanted to get her hands on his hair since she's first seen him. Can I get a coffee?” Billy took off his coat and sat down at her kitchen table.

“No. I'm busy, too. Just say what you want to say and leave.”

“Wow, straight to the point, huh? Fine. I'm sorry for exploding on you like I did. Wasn't the time and place and I'm sorry about some of the things I said.”

“Oh, you're just sorry about SOME of the things you said? Which ones exactly?” Teddy looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“About you not being able to do anything, but sit on your ass and look good. That you've never had it tough. I'm sorry, okay?”

Teddy made herself a coffee and remained silent until she had taken a sip of the hot brew, pondering how she felt about his so-called apology for a minute.

“Your apology doesn't mean a thing, Billy.” she said softly, while she stared unseeingly out the kitchen window, while various scenes of similar, previous fights ran through her mind. “I was always so quick to forgive you, because I hated fighting with you. I love you so much, I just wanted us to be on good terms and stick together, like we used to when we were kids. We used to be such a tight unit back then. We did everything together, remember? I would have done anything for you. Every time that you got hurt, it physically hurt me. Sometimes I felt like we shared one body, because we had this incredible bond. I felt what you felt and vice versa. We knew what the other was thinking, all the time. And now I don't even know who you are anymore. You're certainly not who you were back then.”

“Yeah, well,... neither are you.” Billy scoffed.

“That's true. We both changed and we went into two very different directions. Maybe it was because they separated us, but maybe it would have happened anyway. We won't ever find out and it doesn't even matter. What matters is, that we keep having the same fight over and over again, which shows me, that you meant every single word you said. You do believe that I can't do anything and that I've never had it tough. You've made that abundantly clear in the past. Still, I always forgave you, because you were my brother and I loved you. I don't know why it's different this time..., but it is.”

“Come on, Teddy. They were just words. I was stressed out...” Billy argued weakly, but in his heart he knew, that Teddy was right. He did mean it and he had meant to hurt her, because he felt hurt by having been left out again by his grandmother.

“That's no excuse. They are not just words if you keep repeating them over and over every fucking year. You asked Daryl if he was sure that he wanted to marry me, because once my looks go, he will be left with an old and ugly wife, who can't do anything but sit around and be useless. That was the lowest of the lowest blows ever, Billy. And the worst part is that you meant it. You really do believe that and I don't have it in me to forgive you for that. Not yet, anyway.” Teddy wiped away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks with the sleeve of her robe and sighed deeply. “These days we are as distant as we used to be tight back when we were kids. I don't even recognize you anymore and I hope for your sake, that you don't ever talk to Maggie like that again or you'll find yourself back in your bachelor pad sooner than you think.”

“We will work it out. We always do.” Billy squirmed in his chair. He wasn't used to Teddy being cold to him after he had apologized. Something really was different this time and it didn't sit well with him. “Does all that mean, that you don't want me at your wedding on Monday? 'Cause you need a witness, you know?”

“I know. Dad is gonna be mine.” Teddy told him, shocking Billy a little.

“Wow, so you really don't want me there?”

“I do want you there. I know I'd regret you not being there in the future, Billy, but if you can't support us or if you plan on pulling some kind of crap during that ceremony, you better stay away, because I will kill you if you ruin this day for us, too.”

“You really think I'd ruin your wedding?” Billy asked her with an incredulous expression on his pretty face.

“After that dinner? Yeah, wouldn't put it past you anymore.”

“Shit, Teddy! Come on. We are not irreparably broken here or something, right?”

“I don't know. I hope not, but I guess I need more time to be able to forgive you for what you said. Our fights were usually just between us, but this time you branched out. The way you talked to Daryl and Maggie, especially,... It shocked me. That wasn't the man I grew up with and it's startling that that kind of person is inside of you. I guess that's why it's different this time.” she sniffed and grabbed a paper towel to blow her nose and dry her face.

“I'm still me. It's just special circumstances. I keep thinking about Milo, okay? I keep thinking, what if my son is healthy now, but he doesn't come out healthy or alive at all? What if anything happened to Maggie... What if the same that happened to you will happen to us?”

“It's still no excuse, Billy. Instead of alienating everybody you should cherish every moment you have with the person you love, if you're worried about losing them. Don't use my son as your excuse for being a major jerk.”

“Guess I can't say the right thing here, can I? Better leave then. I'll be there on Monday and don't worry, I'll just sit there and keep my trap shut.”

“Good.” Teddy replied curtly and took another sip of her coffee, while Billy got up to put on his coat. Then he stood there awkwardly, staring at Teddy's back. Usually they hug goodbye and it was like his body was still expecting it and was keeping him rooted to his spot, while his brain told him to get the hell out of there.

“Bye, Billy. See you on Monday.” Teddy muttered, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

“Right. Bye.” Billy sighed and forced his body into action. Teddy let her tears flow freely once he'd left. She needed to get it out of her system before Daryl would come back, because there would be no stopping him from driving to Elijay and kill Billy, if he caught her crying again.

######## ####### ####### ####### ###### ######

Two days later the big day was upon them, and for the first time in his life, Daryl was the clumsiest fuck on the planet. They wouldn't get married until afternoon and everyone involved was working a half day, and his colleagues weren't sure that Daryl would actually make it to the wedding unharmed or alive, if he kept dropping things or banging his head repeatedly. Daryl didn't even know why in the world he was so nervous. He wasn't having second thoughts and up until this morning he'd been as cool as a cucumber about the whole thing. It was like a switch had been flipped and he had no idea why he wasn't able to focus on anything else, but the impending nuptials.

As soon as their lunch break rolled around he, along with Billy and Roxy, was out of there. He still wasn't talking much to Billy. They were civil, but that was about it. Teddy was always worried about not being able to do anything right and not being able to contribute anything to their life together and Billy telling her, that her fears about herself were right and practically calling her a useless waste of space, was a big no-go in Daryl's book. Teddy hadn't been able to forgive him yet and neither had Daryl. 

When he got home Daryl was surprised to feel incredibly relieved to see Teddy standing by the kitchen table and getting some burgers and fries out of a take out bag. It was like his subconscious had expected her to change her mind and run. She looked up at him and smiled, and before she had the chance to say anything, he'd enveloped her in a big hug and kissed her long and hard. Teddy rubbed her hands along his arms. She was able to feel Daryl's nervousness, it was practically radiating off of him. It reminded her of the time when they had just met. He'd always been so fidgety and nervous, not able to look at her directly and only mumbling his replies. In retrospect, she knew that she never stood a chance against his endearing charms.

“Don't be nervous. Everything is going to be just fine and it will be over before you know it.” Teddy smiled gently at him as soon as their lips broke contact.

“Don't wanna fuck up. What if I forget what I'm supposed ta repeat?”

“Then the nice lady is gonna tell you again. Don't worry about it, might happen to me, too. I might be such a blubbering mess that I won't be able to get the words out.” Teddy tried to calm him down. “Maybe you should have a shot of whiskey before you go?”

“Maybe. You ain't nervous at all?”

“A little. Mostly I just can't wait to finally be your wife.”

“All ya want is that other ring.” Daryl teased with a grin, making her laugh.

“Oh yeah, that too. Come on, let's eat and then we have to get ready.” she kissed his lips once more, before she pushed him towards his chair and got him a cold drink. After lunch Daryl took a quick shower and then went into the bedroom to get dressed in his suit, while Teddy occupied the bathroom to change into her dress and redo her hair and make-up. Daryl was done pretty quickly and when he looked at himself in the mirror, he had to admit that he didn't look as stupid as he had feared. It was still a sight that took some getting used to and he was glad that he wouldn't have to wear it for very long. He plucked at his hair and tried to make it look a little less unruly, wondering if he should have cut it short after all. But then again, Teddy might have killed him for it. She loved his wild hair.

He heard the clacking of her heels against the tiles of the bathroom floor and a moment later the door opened. Daryl's breath rushed out of his lungs, when he saw her in her wedding attire for the first time. She was so pretty, he had no idea how he'd ever gotten her to marry him. He was speechless. To tell her that she looked pretty would sound pathetic and it wouldn't be enough, but unfortunately he wasn't able to come up with something fitting. His mind was gloriously blank. He registered her gasp and saw her eyes widen and fill with tears. He panicked for a second, not sure what was going on or why she was about to cry.

“Oh God, Daryl... look at you. So damn handsome. Shit I'm gonna cry, you look so unbelievably good, baby.” She fanned herself and tried to blink away the tears, while Daryl looked down at himself.

“It ain't that stupid, I guess.” he mumbled self-deprecatingly.

“It's not stupid at all. I knew you'd look good, but I had no idea you'd look this freaking amazing.” she walked up to him and straightened his tie a little, before she looked him over with a proud smile. “Perfect.”

“You look good, too.” the words slipped out before he was able to stop himself. Good lord, he sounded absolutely pathetic.

“Thanks. Are we ready to go? Got the rings?” she asked and watched him pat down his pockets.

“Yeah, all here. Got the paperwork?”

“It's in my purse. Okay... here goes nothing I guess.” she giggled, slowly getting a bit more nervous as well.

“Let's get hitched.” Daryl smiled and took her hand to lead her out of the apartment and to her car.

######### ####### ####### ######## ####### #######

“Good afternoon, and welcome to the ceremony that will unite Daryl and Theodora in marriage. We gather here today to celebrate their union, and to honor their commitment to not just gazing at one another, but to looking outward together in the same direction.   
Today Daryl and Theodora proclaim their love to the world, and we rejoice with and for them. In marriage, we give ourselves freely and generously into the hands of the one we love, and in doing so, each of us receives the love and trust of the other as our most precious gift. But even as that gift is shared by two people who are in love, it also touches the friends and family members who in various ways support and contribute to the relationship. All of you are Daryl's and Theodora's community, and each of you has played some part in bringing them to this moment. This is why gathering as a community is such an important part of a wedding ceremony. Because Daryl and Theodora are now taking   
a new form as a married couple, and in this form, they become part of their community in a new way. 

Daryl and Theodora, we are here to remember and rejoice with you and to recount with one another that it is love that guides us on our path, and to celebrate as you begin this journey together. It is in this spirit that you have come here to today to exchange these vows. Daryl, please repeat after me:

I, Daryl Dixon, take you, Theodora Marie Robertson to be my wife.”

Daryl quickly cleared his throat, trying to focus on what the officiant was telling him to say. He blushed a little, uncomfortable by having to speak up in front of the whole family and having all their attention on him.

“I, Daryl Dixon, take you, Theodora Marie Robertson to be my wife.” he looked at her, squeezing her hand in a death grip and relaxing a little when he saw her beautiful and proud smile, while he repeated after the officiant.

“I promise above all else to live in truth with you and to communicate fully and fearlessly. I will never keep secrets from you, that could harm you or our union. I give you my hand and my heart as a sanctuary of warmth and peace and pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor as I join my life to yours. In this moment I promise before these witnesses to love you and care for you all of our days. I accept you with your faults and your strengths, even as I offer myself with my faults and strengths. I promise to support you when you need support and to turn to you when I need support. I choose you as the one with whom I will spend my life.” 

By the time he was finished Teddy was crying and Daryl was so choked up that he was barely able to talk anymore. He was glad that it was now Teddy's turn. Her predictions were almost coming true, she was crying so much that she had to fight hard to get her words out. It didn't help that she heard her mother and Maggie sob quietly behind her.

“I, Theodora Marie Robertson, take you, Daryl Dixon to be my husband. I promise above all else to live in truth with you and to communicate fully and fearlessly. I will never keep secrets from you, that could harm you or our union. I give you my hand and my heart as a sanctuary of warmth and peace and pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor as I join my life to yours. In this moment I promise before these witnesses to love you and care for you all of our days. I accept you with your faults and your strengths, even as I offer myself with my faults and strengths. I promise to support you when you need support and to turn to you when I need support. I choose you as the one with whom I will spend my life.”

“Daryl and Theodora, you have shared promises in our presence. Do you have rings you wish to exchange?” the officiant smile and looked to Daryl's right, where Merle was digging the ring out of his pants pocket, his trademark and ever-present shit-eating grin firmly in place.

“Here ya go, baby bro.” he winked when he placed the ring for Teddy in Daryl's palm and Gerald gave Teddy the ring for Daryl.

“Daryl, will you give your ring to Theodora and repeat these words: I give you this ring as a reminder of the promises we exchanged today.” 

Daryl repeated the words, while he slipped her grandmother's wedding ring on Teddy's left ring finger, where it joined the engagement ring.

“Theodora, will you give your ring to Daryl and repeat these words: I give you this ring as a reminder of the promises we exchanged today.”

Teddy said the words and slipped the simple silver wedding band on Daryl's left ring finger, and was barely able to keep herself from bouncing up and down on her chair. She knew it was done.

“Daryl and Theodora, although I'm officiating here today, it is not truly in my power to sanctify, legitimize or bless your relationship in any way, because the two of you have already done that in your hearts. So, by joining hands right now and looking into each others eyes, let it be known that you are joined, body and soul in this lifetime, and that this bond is sacred and eternal. And now that you have stood before me and exchanged these rings and these vows, and have agreed to be married according to the laws of the state of Georgia, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are now husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

“C'mon, little brother, lay a big one on yer wife.” Merle, of course, wasn't able to stop himself from making at least one little comment to tease his brother. The others laughed, while Daryl scowled at him.

“Shut up, Merle.” he growled, before he leaned towards his giggling wife and kissed her gently at first. Then he whispered 'mine' against her lips and followed up with a longer and harder kiss. Their family applauded and cheered, making the couple go red in the face.

“I love you so much.” Teddy said with her beaming smile on her lips, while the officiant asked Gerald and Merle to sign the marriage certificate.

“Love ya, too.” Daryl smiled. He didn't say it much, but he would be damned if he didn't say it to her on their wedding day. 

“Mrs. Dixon? Would you please sign the certificate as well?” the officiant asked Teddy, who looked around and waited for someone to step up.

“Mrs. Dixon?” The officiant asked again and held the pen out towards Teddy.

“Oh my God, that's me!!!” Teddy exclaimed loudly, when she realized that she was Mrs. Dixon now. Everybody was laughing, causing Teddy to shield her blushing face for a moment in embarrassment. “Oh wow, that's gonna take some getting used to.”

“I'll get ya used to it, no worries.” Daryl winked and took the pen from her, after she had signed, so he could sign his name as well. He let his eyes look over at her signature, a primal rush of possessiveness paired with intense pride was rolling through his body at seeing his last name now accompanying her first name. No more Teddy Robertson. From now on she'd be Teddy Dixon for the rest of her life.

######## ####### ######## ####### ######## #########

Daryl finally understood Teddy's fascination with her engagement ring. Now that he was wearing his own wedding ring, he found his gaze drifting there constantly. He was a married man. He'd found his other half and he'd been smart enough to make her his. This was the visible symbol of their union and he would only ever take it off for work. He never thought he'd be the “ring-wearing kind”, but once Teddy had asked him if he wanted his own ring, he'd found himself looking forward to having one.

It gave him an extra special kick to watch his be-ringed hand glide over her naked body. Everything looked even better now and made his possessiveness sky-rocket. His hand went from her jaw down to her throat, squeezing ever so lightly, before it slid lower. He stroked his palm over her soft breast, letting his silver wedding band get caught on her nipple on purpose, rubbing the smooth metal over the rosy, hardening peak in little circles.

“Look who's fascinated by his ring now.” Teddy beamed, a tiny giggle leaving her chest. A sound Daryl quickly turned into a moan when he spread his fingers and squeezed her nipple between them.

“Yeah,... guess I get it now. Can't stop lookin'.”

“Then you better do something to divert your attention from that ring.” She grinned and threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his lips down to her breast. Daryl gladly let his tongue toy with her nipple. It was more for himself than for her, he knew Teddy wasn't that sensitive in that area. She loved to watch him, though, and used the opportunity to skim her fingers over his wonderfully smooth and firm skin. Her hands slid over the vast expanse of his broad shoulders, just marveling at the terrific Dixon genes. He'd been a smoker for more than half his life and yet his skin looked like the skin of a fresh-faced college junior. She smoothed her palms over his biceps, feeling the defined and strong muscles underneath her fingertips. He felt so damn good. She was getting more turned on by the second, just from feeling him up like this. Daryl felt her starting to squirm under him and he gave her breast a squeeze with his hand and a nice and hard suck with his mouth, before he looked up at her with a mischievous grin.

“This ain't where ya really want ma mouth, is it darlin'?”

“Not really, no.” Teddy caught her bottom lip between her teeth, while she watched him kiss his way towards her belly button.

“Then tell me, Mrs. Dixon... Where do you want my mouth?” he muttered with that deep and sensual voice of his, enjoying how it made goosebumps break out on his wife's skin.

“Well, Mr. Dixon, I can tell you that you are certainly getting closer.” Teddy breathed and gently let her hands put some pressure on his head, trying to move him further down.

“Really? How bout here?” Daryl sank his teeth into the little curve where her waist flared out into her hips. 

“Daaaryyyyl!” Teddy squealed and tried to wriggle away from him, but Daryl held her pinned in place by quickly wrapping both of his strong arms around her hips. He chuckled while he kept giving her little bites in that spot. Teddy laughed and giggled, still trying to get away from him somehow. “That tickles!!! Daryl stop... I can't breathe. Oh you're so evil! I'm gonna get you back for this. Daryyyyl!”

He finally tore his mouth away from the sensitive spot and looked up at her, grinning boyishly. “Oh, so that ain't the spot ya meant?”

“You know damn well that wasn't the spot, mister.” Teddy sat up slightly, just enough to be able to cradle his face in her hands and lean down to kiss him lovingly. “Love you so damn much, Mr. Dixon.”

“Love ya more, Mrs. Dixon.” he grinned and kissed her back, letting his tongue dip into her mouth to tease hers. “Now lay back and lemme take care of ya.”

“Not gonna object to that.” Teddy smiled and laid back down, taking a deep breath in, when she felt his hot breath ghosting over her intimate parts. She shivered in anticipation as he used both of his thumbs to part her , revealing her clit to his hungry eyes.

“Pretty as a picture.” he marveled and licked his lips, before lowering his head. His tongue darted out of his mouth, giving her throbbing nub, little, teasing flicks. Enough to make her whimper and buck against his mouth, but not enough to create the friction she craved.

“You're teasing...”

“Just enjoying the goods, darlin'. Relax. You know that you always get what you want.”

“But you're making me wait.”

“Not long, I promise.” he winked up at her. He wouldn't be able to keep himself from taking her, too much longer, either. He was eager to be as close to her as possible, but he wanted to warm her up a little more first. Two fingers slowly entered her, twisting and turning languidly inside of her, before withdrawing again. “Almost ready.” Daryl grinned and just a second later, he licked her again, letting his tongue stroke her sensitive flesh firmer this time.

“Yes, that's it, honey.” she moaned and buried her fingers in his thick hair again, pulling his face hard against her. Daryl groaned in response, the sound and the feeling of the vibrations hitting her, making the heat level inside her body soar. “Don't stop, don't stop...”

Daryl let his fingers penetrate her again, pushing them in deeply, giving her clenching muscles something to squeeze, something they were always eager to do. He moved them in and out with short, jerky movements, mirroring the way he was sucking on her clit now, with hard and rhythmic pulls of his mouth.

“ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod OH GOD!” Daryl's skilled fingers and lips made Teddy come apart quickly. The sound of her chanting that got more and more high-pitched until it ended in a shout of pleasure was music to his ears. The first time he'd made his WIFE cum. It made his cock twitch, the urge to bury himself inside of her balls-deep, claiming her as his anew, was burning in his veins. Had been since the moment he'd kissed her after they had been pronounced husband and wife and now it was finally time to give in to his urges.

He moved back up, kissing her passionately, while Teddy wrapped her legs around his waist. Daryl reached down and positioned the tip of his erection at her entrance, and with one smooth and practiced thrust, he slid inside of her gloriously deep. He pushed his hands between the mattress and her body and Teddy lifted herself up a little, so Daryl could wrap his arms around her. He hugged her tightly to his body, never once breaking their ardent kiss, they were as close as two human beings could possibly be, but he still couldn't get enough. He would never get enough of her, he would always want more, more, more. He moved slowly in and out of her, savoring the sensation of feeling her soft, wet walls envelop him inch by inch, and how she squeezed her muscles around him every time he pulled back out, unwilling to let him go.

Teddy mimicked him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders, enjoying being held like this and enjoying holding him like that. She pulled away from the kiss and looked into his beautiful blue eyes, that look of adoration, which Daryl loved so much, was displayed in her own.

“Can't believe we really did it.” she smiled under her breath.

“And you wanted ta wait.” he smirked, his breath labored while he kept moving slowly.

“Good thing you convinced me not to.”

“Love ya so fuckin' much, girl. Ya mean the world ta me.”

“I know. Just like you are everything to me, baby.”

“Mine.” 

“Yours. Forever.”

####### ####### ####### ######## ######## #######

They didn't like it much, but the next day it was back to business as usual. They both couldn't afford to take time off, so the next morning they got ready for work just like every other morning. Daryl sighed when he took his wedding ring off at breakfast and put it in his pants pocket. 

“Maybe you should get a necklace for it. You know, for work.” Teddy suggested between taking sips from her coffee mug.

“Nah, ain't the necklace wearing-type.” 

“You thought you wouldn't be the ring wearing-type, either and now look at you.” Teddy smirked, making Daryl glare at her. He was not in a good mood. If it was up to him he'd stay in and hide out with her for the whole day. Teddy leaned over the table and kissed him sweetly. “Lighten up, my love. Just a couple of hours and we are together again.”

“Yeah, but you'll be late 'cause of those damn errands ya have ta run.”

“Good thing you have the 'kids' to keep you company until I'm back.”

“Right... maybe a tattoo.” he mused out loud and looked back down to his now naked ring finger.

“Yeah, maybe. You'll figure it out. I have to get going. Have a nice day, baby.” she kissed him and cuddled Roxy and kissed Snoopy on the top of his head to say goodbye to them, too.

“Don't forget that you have to sign with Dixon now.” Daryl shouted after her, before she closed the front door.

At night when she came back home she found Daryl laying on the couch, gigantic Roxy on top of him in his arms and Snoopy curled up in the crook of his neck on the pillow he was resting his head on. The whole scene was putting a huge smile on her face.

“Awwww, you guys are so darn cute. I could kiss you all over.” she walked over to the couch and bend down, kissing Daryl first, before she pressed a gentle kiss on their furry babies. “Isn't she a little heavy by now?

“Nah, weighs about as much as you do from the feel of it.”

“No more space for momma to cuddle, huh?” she mock-complained while she scratched Roxy behind the ear. She had her big head cuddled against Daryl's chest and closed her eyes in enjoyment when Teddy petted her. 

“I can send her to her bed.”

“No, no! I didn't mean it like that. You guys look so comfy all cuddled up. Stay, I'll get changed and make dinner.”

“Really? That's how ya wanna start married life? Torturing me?” Daryl made a face and laughed when Teddy pinched his nipple. “Hey, watch it. That's sensitive.”

“That's why I did it. Don't worry, I'll just throw some chicken wings and fries in the oven. Nothing to ruin there.” she placated him.

“Sounds good. How was work?”

“Same old, same old. How was yours? How's Billy doing?”

“Dunno. He still steers clear of me for the most part. Looked fucking tired, but that ain't news.”

“Maggie is in pain and is barely able to sleep anymore and he worries. All natural and part of the oh so beautiful miracle of birth. Not that beautiful during the past couple of weeks.” Teddy laughed.

“Was it the same for you?”

“No, I got pretty lucky. I was able to sleep well up until week 35, I think. I had this great pillow that cushioned my belly perfectly and took some pressure off my hips as well. It was really expensive, but in the end it was worth every penny. Later I used it to cradle Milo when I nursed him. Gosh, but my boobs hurt something awful. My eyes were watering it was so bad. The only thing that helped was laying down on my side, the opposite side of the breast that hurt. So weird.”

“But they were big, right?” Daryl grinned like the little macho he sometimes was, when he remembered the one picture he had seen of her in Milo's baby album.

“Oh yeah, I went from a B-cup up to a DD-cup during pregnancy, and after the milk came in I was an E/F for a while.” Teddy explained, watching the grin widen on Daryl's face.

“Shit. Ain't got no pictures I s'ppose?”

“I do, but you can barely see anything, because I used to wear all these really baggy shirts. I wasn't comfortable with those gigantic knockers at all. Now wipe that goofy grin off your face. Want me to get a boob job?” she asked jokingly.

“Hell no. I like 'em natural. Yours are perfect the way they are anyway.”

“Thanks, baby. Good to know.” she giggled and kissed him once more, but was soon shooed away by Roxy's wet nose. “Yes I know, no one is allowed to kiss Daddy, but you. Sorry, baby girl.”

“That's right. Now fix me some dinner woman.” He winked and slapped her ass, when she walked away. He watched her until she disappeared out of sight, and sighed contentedly. Life was pretty damn perfect these days.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

They enjoyed their married bliss for a whole week, until the next Monday, when Teddy came home from work. Daryl knew something was wrong the minute she entered the apartment. Usually when Roxy, and now Snoopy, raced towards the front door to greet Momma, her cheerful voice and laughter would be heard echoing throughout the apartment. This time he heard something completely unfamiliar, a tired and shaky voice, that said “Sorry babies, not today. Momma can't...”

Daryl frowned and got up from his chair to go investigate. He didn't like what he found one bit. Teddy was walking over to the couch on shaky legs, her face scrunching up in pain with every step. Her naturally tan complexion was sickly pale and Daryl swore she looked like she was having cold sweats.

“Girl? What the hell?” he reached her before she was able to reach the couch and cradled her face in his strong hands, his concerned gaze boring into her glassy eyes.

“I don't feel so good.” she stated the obvious. She had been tired after waking up that morning and hadn't been in too much of a good mood, but everything seemed fine, until that unbelievably uncomfortable pain had started to build in her lower abdomen. She was a doctor, she knew she shouldn't jump to conclusions, but this pain still made her worry a little. Usually it meant, that something was different in there. She had no idea that an ovary could hurt this damn much. Every step she took felt like it was causing an earthquake in there, like her right ovary was vibrating and emitting waves of hot, sharp pains.

“What's wrong? You getting sick? You hurtin'?” Daryl asked frantically while he looked her over.

“It hurts a bit,... maybe I'm looking at the period from hell this month.” Teddy explained and took a deep breath, trying to relax herself.

“But ya ain't never been like this before...” Daryl trailed off, while his brows knit in confusion.

“Nope. Usually doesn't hurt like this. That's new. At least for me.” Teddy tried to make her way past him. All she wanted was to take some ibuprofen and sink into the comfy heaven called couch.

“We're going to the hospital.” Daryl announced and turned her right around.

“No. No, come on. I just need to lay down and rest a little. I'll be fine tomorrow.” Teddy fought weakly against his grip on her arms.

“Teddy, no discussion, we're going. Ya said it yourself, this ain't normal. Not for you. Get moving, we're losing daylight here.” Daryl said forcefully. He gripped her tightly, but walked slowly when he realized that walking caused her pain. His stomach clenched with worry and he shook his head with a deep sigh, when fear gripped at his insides. “Shit, Teddy. This don't look good. Are ya even close to bein' on yer rag?”

“Not really, but it's gonna be fine, baby. Just stupid female stuff.” Teddy knew he was freaked out, it was clear as day on his face. She had an idea of what could be causing the problems inside her body and while it didn't worry her as a physician, it worried her as Daryl's wife, because she was pretty sure Daryl would freak out, if her predictions would come true. “We really don't have to go. I'm sure I'll be fine again tomorrow.”

“I said no discussion, didn't I?” Daryl didn't allow further arguing and led her to his truck. The memories of her accident were still fresh on his mind and even though he was no fan of hospitals, he couldn't be careful enough where Teddy was concerned. He had to take her to get that pain checked out and hear from another doctor that everything was going to be fine.

######## ######## ####### ####### ###### ######

“Okay, there is definitely a cyst on your right ovary, Dr. Dixon.” the gynecologist, Dr. Hainesworth, informed Teddy while she looked at the ultrasound image on the screen. Teddy instantly felt Daryl's grip on her hand tighten painfully. His other hand was brought up to his mouth, chewing on the cuticle of his thumb.

“That ain't good, right?” he asked the older woman nervously.

“Well, it could actually be perfectly normal. It could be, what we call a 'functional ovarian cyst'. Those cysts are related to ovulation and the whole menstrual cycle and usually disappear on its on within the next few cycles.” the doctor explained to him.

“But?” 

“But it is unusual in a woman that takes oral contraceptives. See, oral contraceptives work by preventing an ovulation and these woman usually don't have this kind of functional ovarian cysts.”

“So it's bad. Is it this cancer shit?”

“Daryl, it's not cancer...” Teddy tried to placate Daryl, who was chewing his thumb raw.

“It could be cancerous.” The doctor confirmed, making Teddy roll her eyes in exasperation. Did the woman not notice that she was trying to calm her husband down instead of making him freak out? “But at this point we don't have reason to suspect anything bad. It looks like it is a functional ovarian cyst, there doesn't seem to be solid tissue in there-”

“But ya jus' said that women like her don't have those.” Daryl interrupted her, the volume of his voice rising. He didn't get what that woman was saying and it made him angry.

“Usually they don't, Mr. Dixon, but the female's reproductive system is never an exact science. Things that are out of the ordinary happen a lot without real explanation. That's just hormones at play. Ask your wife, she will tell you the same thing. So for now we won't treat it as cancer, but we will monitor it.” The doctor turned her attention back to Teddy. “You know how to proceed?”

“Yes, make another appointment in 4-6 weeks and if the pain gets stronger or doesn't subside at all I'll come back in earlier.” Teddy recited what she had told female patients a hundred times.

“Exactly. Don't worry, Mr. Dixon. Your wife will be fine.”

######## ####### ######## ######## ####### ########

“Daryl, I love you, but if you don't stop looking at me like that, so help me God, I will smack you upside the head.” 

“Sorry for givin' a fucking damn!” he spat upset, turning his attention back to the TV.

“You're looking at me like I'm about to drop dead any second now. I told you and the doctor told you, it's nothing bad.”

“Nah, the doc said it could be something bad.”

“And out of everything she said that's what you chose to focus on? Awesome. You gonna be like this for the next four weeks? Because then I might seriously consider moving in with my parents until the next appointment.” Teddy had started shouting right along with him. She needed a moment to realize that it wouldn't get her anywhere, and she forced herself to calm down, before she opened her mouth again. She lifted his arm and put it around her own shoulders so she could press herself against his side and kissed him gently. “Listen, my love. It's nothing bad. She said it looked like fluid in there and those cysts are pretty common for a lot of women.”

“But it ain't common for you, 'cause you're on birth control she said.” Daryl was quick to argue, not quite willing to see the positive side of things, mostly because he was scared to death and didn't understand what was going on in a woman's body.

“That's true, but like with everything else, there are exceptions. We are ruled by hormones and they can do a ton of things. Ovarian cancer is very rare in women my age and we also don't have it in my family. We only have bad hearts. It would be more likely for me to drop dead from too much fatty food or excessive exercise.”

“Don't fucking tell me ya have a heart condition.” Daryl's eyes widened noticeably and Teddy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was so cute, but at the same time obviously scared.

“No, I'm good. Not even high blood pressure. My parents both have bad hearts. My father had a mild heart attack 20 years ago and my mother's heart has suffered from the high blood pressure that she's had forever. Billy has Arrythmia, but so far my heart is as healthy as can be.”

“That ain't helpin at all.” Daryl sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, when he felt a headache starting to build.

“What I was trying to say is: I'm not worried. And if I'm not worried, there is no need for you to be worried. Okay?”

“I can't help it, alright? I still dream about that moment I saw ya laying there next to the road, bleeding and with yer arm all fucked up. I'm scared of losing you every goddamn day and this just confirms that I'm right to be scared. We just ain't catchin' a break, just when things go jus' right... We been married for a fucking week. Seriously? That's all we fucking get?”

“No, it's not all we get. Baby, I know this is scary to you and I understand that you are freaking out a bit, but please trust me. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Even if it does turn out to be cancer, that still doesn't mean I'm dying. In that case it got caught early, they will give me a hysterectomy and then some chemo. Yes it would suck big time, but it wouldn't have to end in death. I promised I'd never lie to you, remember? It's the truth, I'll be fine.” she kissed him again and this time Daryl didn't let her pull away too quickly. He hugged her to him and poured all he had into the kiss, showing her what he wasn't good at expressing verbally. He loved her more than anything and was scared that she was really, really sick. He couldn't lose her. He'd fucking hang himself. He pulled away soon, knowing she still felt shitty and tired and just wanted to rest.

“Painkillers working?”

“Yes. That's a good sign, too. It was probably just stretching pains from that cyst popping up. Please stop worrying.” She smiled and snuggled her head into his shoulder. Daryl pulled her into his arms completely, holding her in his lap like a baby. He wanted to wrap himself around her like a safety blanket, to protect her from all this crap. 

####### ######## ######## ######## ######## ########

The next day the pain was still there, but it had dulled considerably and was now very bearable. She still didn't feel very well, though, but that also got better in the next couple of days and by the time the weekend rolled around, she was as good as new. They had told her parents, but both Bernadette and Gerald knew that women just went through crazy shit sometimes and they weren't worried either, so Daryl started to relax again. Still, he knew that a little bit of concern would linger right beneath the surface until the next appointment with her doctor.

Teddy knew just the cure for him to get himself calm and centered again: A weekend in the woods. They asked Teddy's parents to look after Snoopy for two days, packed up their bows, sleeping bags and the food and water they'd need for themselves and Roxy, and off they went. She still didn't know what it was about the woods, but as soon as they got out of the car, Daryl changed. He was so much more at ease out here, much more confident. Almost like he was when they were in bed together: Outgoing, dominant, calm and collected, his nervous habits stayed almost completely back in Jasper every single time they came here. She wished she could just say 'BOOM, here's your house!' and their perfect dream house would be out here, ready for them to move their little family in, but unfortunately they weren't there yet by a long shot. It hurt her to think that they might not ever have enough money to do it and that he would have to live in the town forever. She knew for sure that his life would improve vastly if he would live in a home surrounded by nothing but nature.

They had gone for a nice, long walk first and Teddy had been too deep in thought to realize, that he seemed to have a fixed destination in mind. Suddenly he stopped and looked at her with that cute little half-smile of his. 

“Remember this?” he asked and looked down at something on the ground. Teddy took a short moment to take in her surroundings, before her eyes fell on the object he was looking at. A tree log, just big enough for one person to sit on, hidden behind a big sturdy tree. A huge smile appeared on Teddy's face when the memories related to that log came back to her.

“How can I forget? This is where we kissed for the very first time. Our first and pretty much only date.” she smiled dreamily and walked closer, touching the tree trunk, which Daryl had been leaning back against back then, almost reverently.

“Didn't need more than one, did we?” he grinned and sat down on the log and leaned back against the tree.

“No, we did not. It was just perfect.”

“Shit, feels like it was yesterday, don't it. Been almost a year.” he mumbled in disbelief, while he dodged Roxy's attempts to lick his face. “Down, girl. Sit.”

When Roxy obediently sat next to the log, Daryl motioned for Teddy to join him and sit on his lap.

“It does feel like that.” She agreed while she sat sideways on his lap and slung her arm around his shoulders, her fingers seeking out the hair at the back of his neck immediately, recreating the first moment they've ever been close like this. “Almost exactly 9 months ago. Still some time until it's been a full year.” she corrected him and jumped slightly with a giggle, when he poked her in the ribs.

“Smartass. But it's been almost a full year since I first saw ya. In that bakery.”

“That's true. That was in February.”

“February 22nd.” Daryl mumbled absently, while he thought back to that morning. He'd been in such a fucked up place back then. All alone, missing his brother, who'd been in jail, not knowing what to do with himself, in a shitty, dark and rank apartment.

“Oh my God, you seriously remember the date? I didn't even remember that.” Teddy gaped at him in surprise.

“Won't ever forget, girl. Never. Remember the exact day of this first date?” he tested her.

“That's one I'll never forget. April 12th...”

“April 12th, that's right. Already knew that night, that you was the one for me. Ya were able ta handle me. When I push, you push back,... you make the effort, instead of just walking away, thinking that I ain't worth the trouble.”

“You're worth every trouble, baby. I knew you were special. Turns out I'm smart after all, because here we are, joined forever and I couldn't be happier.” she smiled. Daryl returned the smile, but he knew she would realize that it was forced. To avoid that, he quickly pulled her in for a kiss. He crashed his lips to hers, parting them with his tongue, letting it mate with hers inside the hot sweet cavern of her mouth. Just like back then, the animal inside of him roared to life, eager to claim her, mark her and make her his once again, but after all these months he was able to control those strong urges better and release that primal beast inside of him at will only. He knew she loved it and was always able to take what he gave, but still, he worried about going too far and hurting her. A fear that would surely never fully disappear. The thought of her being gone one day ripped his heart out. She was his other half, if she was gone, it would feel like half of him would be gone. There would be no sense in going on.

Teddy soon felt his grip on her tighten almost painfully. His lips were pressing against hers so hard that it seemed like he wanted to crawl inside her body through her mouth. She was startled, when she felt wetness against her cheek, and she quickly pulled away.

“Daryl...” she looked at him confused while her thumb gently wiped away the tear that had spilled out of his eye.

“I can't lose ya, Teddy.” his voice was a heart-wrenching whisper and the intensity of his eyes tugged at her heartstrings.

“You won't. I'm fine, baby. I'm already feeling better.” she assured him and quickly wiped the second tear from his face.

“You're still tired a lot. More than before. And you get dizzy a lot.”

“Daryl, I explained this before. It's just hormones, remember? Something is different, so the body reacts and gets a little out of whack. It might take a couple more weeks until it all goes completely back to normal. Unfortunately those cysts don't disappear over night. It takes time and until it happens, my body might react some more, but it is nothing to worry about anymore. There's almost no more pain. I haven't had to swallow a painkiller in three days. It's all good.” Teddy looked him directly in the eyes while she said it, trying to get him to believe her. She stroked her thumbs along his cheekbones softly and kissed the tip of his nose with a smile. “Come one, none of that out here. That's not what we are here for. Keep this up and I might feel like you took me to this place to say goodbye.” she giggled, making Daryl's eyes narrow.

“Ain't funny.” he grumbled.

“You worry too much. It's too early for you to start a death-watch. I promised I'd outlive you and I will.” she winked and leaned closer, peppering his face with little kisses. “Now *kiss* show *kiss* me *kiss* that *kiss* gorgeous *kiss* smile *kiss* of *kiss* yours *kiss* or I pull out the big guns and tickle you to the ground and have Roxy lick your face clean.”

Daryl didn't want to, but he couldn't help the smile that tugged up the corners of his mouth, and eventually he had to give in. “You're unbelievable.”

“So are you.” Teddy grinned, before she pointed at Roxy. “And so is she. Look how good she is. Didn't nudge us apart.”

“Yeah, all that practice is paying off. She's a quick learner, too. Now get up, I wanna do something.” Daryl gave her one more kiss, before he made her stand up. He got up from the log and pulled his buck knife from its sheath, which was attached to his belt. Then he knelt on the log with one knee and started carving something into the bark of the tree.

“Carving our initials in there?” Teddy asked when she stepped up behind him, resting her hands on his broad shoulders while he worked.

“This is our tree now. Better mark it.” he grunted and continued his work. Teddy busied herself with playing with the wispy strands of his hair. When he was done, the tree was adorned by a heart, pierced by an arrow and their initials T+D in it. 

“You're my little 'Undercover Romantic'.” Teddy snickered, kissing the top of his head before he had a chance to get back up. She took her Iphone out of the pocket of her hoodie and quickly snapped a picture, and while he was busy sheathing his knife again and looking at his artwork, she snapped a picture of him. “YES! Finally got you!!!” she jumped up and down triumphantly. Daryl was so camera shy it was ridiculous. The only pictures she had of him were the one from Billy's wedding and the one from their own. He dodged her attempts of getting a nice shot of him constantly.

“You delete that. Gimme that phone.” he reached out, but she quickly took a couple of steps back.

“Nope. I don't know why I'm not allowed to have some pics of you. You take tons of me! I wanna be able to sit at work at lunch and look at you on my phone whenever I feel like it. I'm your wife, I've seen everything, in case you forgot... so what's so bad about letting me take a picture?”

“Jus' don't like it. I look stupid.”

“Trust me, you don't.” she slipped the phone back into the pocket of her hoodie. “We going back to the truck now?”

“Yeah. Come on, this way.” he took her hand back in his, clicking his tongue to signal Roxy to follow them. They didn't go very far until he pointed at another tree. “Remember that one, too?”

“Not really, unfortunately they all look the same to me, but if you're asking, I'm guessing that me and my face are intimately familiar with this tree?” 

“Very much so.” Daryl laughed lightly. He stepped behind her, his hands on her shoulders and slowly gliding down her arms, until he had her much smaller hands in his. He guided them up, placing them against the tree. She felt his tongue flick at her earlobe, before he tugged on it with his teeth. “This yer memory?” he murmured, his voice deepening as his hot breath fanned across her neck.

“A little,... keep trying.” she said under her breath and closed her eyes, when his mouth dropped to the junction between shoulder and neck, pressing hot open-mouthed kisses all the way up to that sensitive spot just below her ear. A low moan left her mouth, when he licked the same trail down to her shoulder and back up, finishing off with a gentle bite, that had her shuddering with arousal. Daryl let go of her hands and pushed his own underneath her warm hoodie, gliding up over the warm skin of her belly, making her jump a little, because his hands were a bit cold at first. He cupped her bra-covered breasts, squeezing and pushing them together, his thumbs teasing over her nipples through the silky fabric and scratching lightly with his thumb nail, when he felt them harden. Teddy wasn't very responsive when he played with her bare tits, but she really got going, when she received indirect stimulation through her bra. It had taken them both a lot of time to figure that one out. It had been more of a recent and accidental discovery, but now that he knew, he was using it to his advantage. He was a breast-man after all.

He grinned proudly against her neck, when she shuddered again and arched her back, pressing her mounds harder into his hands. He sank his teeth into her skin with a growl, while he plucked at the hard peaks, drawing a delicious, high-pitched moan from his wife, before he went back to circling them and scratching them lightly.

“You wet yet, darlin'?” he growled against her ear and pushed his hips into hers, when he felt her grind her ass back into him.

“Why don't you find out?” Teddy gasped and used the leverage of her hands against the rough bark of the tree, to push her body back into his hard. Daryl pulled his hands out from underneath her sweater, one hand smacking her ass with one swift movement, while the other moved to her throat, holding her, using just the slightest bit of pressure.

“Look who's getting' sassy. Better watch it, girl. Don't want me to put you over my knee out here in them woods, where fellow hunters could just come walking by, coming to prep their blinds, do ya?” the image that his words helped forming in her head, paired with that raspy voice of his made every muscle in her lower abdomen clench pleasurably in anticipation. She felt that tingle deep inside her core, that told her that once he touched her, he would indeed find her pretty wet. She knew his own muscles would clench at that discovery, making his cock jump and have his balls release a bit of pre-cum. The knowledge and the new image in her head caused that tingle to get stronger and she mewled in frustration when he wedged his leg between hers, spreading them, when she was just about to press her thighs together for some friction, while that erotic vicious circle was making its rounds inside her head and her body.

“You would never do that. Out in public...” Teddy moaned helplessly, while Daryl unbuttoned her jeans and pulled the zipper down.

“We're in public right now, ain't we? Fucked ya in public before, am about to do it again, so what would keep me from spankin' ya out here, too? Ain't MY naked ass people would see. Just yours, dirty girl.” his fingers delved into her underwear and as predicted, he groaned and thrust his hard cock against her ass, when he felt her moist and ready underneath his fingertips.

“Damn, woman. You're soaked. All the way up to yer lil' pearl up here.” he said lowly into her ear, and Teddy knew he wasn't lying, when his middle finger slipped through her folds with ease and rubbed the wet tip directly over her clit. It was nice and slippery and allowed him to make smooth long strokes up and down.

“Oh dear God!” Teddy's moan came out strangled, while she gasped for air. Her knees buckled at the sudden onslaught of white-hot pleasure he was creating and she held on to the tree for dear life. Daryl still had his other hand around her throat and he used it to make her tilt her head back, arching her neck, so that her head was stretched back so far it was resting against his shoulder and he was able to see her aroused facial expressions.

“So swollen already, babe. Ya really like getting fingered in public, don't ya?”

“So good, Daryl. It's so good. Don't stop sogoodsogoodsogood.” Teddy was whining, sounding like she was in agony, but she was anything but. She was shaking hard and her legs threatened to give out. Small tears were gathering at the corner of her eyes, because the friction and the resulting pleasure were so damn intense.

“Ya gon' be a good little slut for me? Gonna cum on my fingers?” Teddy nodded her head. She practically felt herself swelling against his fingers, she didn't remember ever feeling like this before, but admittedly, at this point it would be a miracle if she would be able to remember her name. Suddenly all that delicious torture stopped and her eyes blinked open in confusion.

“Wha... no, Daryl, please...”

“Then answer me. Only good girls get rewards.” he grinned into her ear, his voice thick with his own arousal. “Fuck. Yes, yes I'm gonna cum. Please don't stop, baby. Make me cum please. Please.”

“Fucking hot when ya beg.” he groaned and resumed his ministrations, a chuckle full of male pride escaping him when Teddy sobbed in relief. He removed the hand on her throat briefly to tug down her jeans and underwear, and he was thankful that they were loose enough to drop down to her knees without him having to struggle all that much. After that he unbuckled his belt and opened his own pants, pushing them down over his ass. He positioned her, so he could line up his cock with her opening, pushing the tip in a little bit, before his hand went back to her throat. “Feel that? Want that inside'a ya?”

“Yes, please,... please, I need to cum.” Teddy moaned, desperately moving her hips, trying to get him to penetrate her more.

“And I need you to cum before you get this inside of ya all the way. Come on, girl. I know you're close. I can feel it. You're clutching ma dick already and I'm barely in. Come on, dirty girl, give it up.” he rubbed her harder and faster, gritting his teeth in his own efforts to hold out and not thrust himself inside of her immediately. He pinched her clit between his middle and forefinger and shook them hard from side to side and finally Teddy came with a loud yell, that reverberated through Daryl's hand on her throat. After a couple of hard contractions, Daryl pushed himself inside of her with one hard, long stroke until he hit the end of her, making her yell again and prolonging her climax a little bit.

“Fuck yes,... Jesus fucking Christ...” his eyes almost rolled back into his head, when he felt her pussy fluttering and clenching around his length. He couldn't get enough of it, it was like using the vibrator on her all over again, so he kept his fingers where they were and kept rubbing her.

“Oh God oh God oh God oh fucking... Daryl!!!” Teddy shouted loudly in pleasure when he just kept going, but now he was also banging her hard and fast with his wonderful cock and within a minute, she was coming a second time, slumping forward against the tree. She was shaking even harder, the only thing keeping her up were his hand around her throat and his dick that was pummeling into her mercilessly. “Stop. I can't... oh God, Daryl please. You're killing me.” Teddy begged when he still kept rubbing her.

“Oh yes, ya can... I've seen it... Come on, baby girl. Third time's the charm.” he ground out between clenched jaws.

“Oh no no no no no... Daryl... no... oh fuck don't stop, don't stop, don't stop oooohh fuuuuck!!!” she was merely whimpering by now, her voice cracking, when her third orgasm flowed through her like a slow rolling wave of intense pleasure. Her pelvis wasn't jerking anymore, it was vibrating, the contractions of her walls like short intense bursts around his dick.

“Such a good girl. Such a fucking good girl,... “ he groaned, his own neck arching, pressing his head back. His face was scrunched up in pleasure, lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing gritted teeth, just a moment, before his features relaxed and his jaws went slack, a deep groan leaving him, while he spilled himself deep inside of her. A handful of thrusts later, they both sank to their knees, desperately gasping for air. His chest was pressed firmly against her back, his hands had left their previous places, so he could wrap his arms around her tightly, pressing her to him while his lips pressed breathless kisses against her neck. “You okay, darlin'? Anything hurtin'?” he whispered against her skin. 

“Just some pinching, like last time. Nothing too bad.” she reassured him. 

“Love ya.” he mumbled quietly, kissing her cheek until she turned her head and kissed his lips with all the love she had for him.

“Same here. We gotta get going. Gotta pee and freshen up. God and I'm hungry now.” she giggled.

“Yeah, me too. Come on then.” he pulled out of her and got up on shaky legs, before he helped her up and they got fully dressed again and went back to their truck for a snack.

####### ####### ####### ####### ###### ######

After that weekend, Daryl finally got back to normal. He was still worried, but he wasn't hovering over her like a worried mother hen all the time anymore. It concerned him that Teddy was still so tired and pale and that she kept having little pains here and there, but he wasn't going out of his mind with worry anymore. Everybody kept telling him she would be fine and he started to believe it. He was insanely happy when she got her period, because he knew that, as soon as it was over, she could go see her doctor again and they could find out if that thing on her ovary had gone away or at least gotten smaller.

“Made an appointment for next Tuesday.” Teddy announced after she had hung up the phone.

“Good.” Daryl nodded with satisfaction. “Think it'll be gone?”

“Maybe not completely, but I'm sure it's gotten smaller.” She kissed his temple in passing on her way to the fridge. “So how about we order in? I don't want us to hang out in the kitchen, I just wanna be a lazy ass on the sofa with you.”

“Nah, short on cash from paying all the stuff for the wedding. The suit I'll never wear again and them damn dress shoes...”

“Are you still upset about that? You looked so incredibly handsome baby. I love you even more for wearing it for me.”

“Thought ya said I always look good ta you?” he pouted with a frown.

“You do, that was just another unbelievably handsome side to you. Now stop pouting and let's choose a menu.”

“I'll cook. Gotta save up again.”

“I got money, I can pay for it. Let's just be lazy today.”

“I said no.”

“And I said yes. And there was nothing about obeying you in our vows.” she joked, but Daryl didn't find it amusing at all.

“I said no and that's fucking end of story. We ain't going to throw money around if we got food at home.”

“It's not gonna spoil if it stays in the fridge one day longer. I want some Greek food, come on, I'll buy. What's the big deal? I can buy us dinner once a year, right?”

“No, it ain't right. Ain't gonna have you buying my fucking food! Every couple of months ya fucking do this. Ya try to take this one thing away from me. The only thing I can provide for ya. It's gonna fucking stop NOW!” his temper was coming out of nowhere, once again demonstrating just how sensitive he was about that topic.

“Good Lord, are we really still on that? I'm not trying to take away anything from you. What, I'm not allowed to treat you at all? I can't ever buy anything for you so you won't feel emasculated? I told you a million times that you provide more than just food. Money isn't everything, Daryl. It's not everything to me and you should know that by now. You think your dick's gonna fall off if you eat something *I* paid for? That's bullshit. Surely your feeling like a man does not solely rely on you cooking for me every day. You are my husband and not my personal chef. If anything makes you feel like a man it should be the way you make me melt like butter in the sun by just looking at me or what you can do to me in bed, and not that you provide meals for me. Goddamnit Daryl, get your head out of your ass.”

“No, ain't taking your money. Order for yourself, but I'll cook myself something.” he replied stubbornly, even though he knew she had a point. Teddy took a deep breath and counted to ten, to keep herself from exploding, but it wasn't working.

“I've had enough of that crap. Grab your shit, we're going to the bank.” she yelled and left the kitchen. Daryl frowned and followed her quickly.

“What?”

“I've had enough of this 'your money, my money' nonsense. Enough of this 'you're never gonna be able to provide for me' bullshit. This is not how it works. I don't provide for you and you don't provide for me. We provide for each other, Daryl. We are married now, our lives are joined and so will be our bank accounts after this afternoon. Both our paychecks will go into one single account and it will be OUR fucking money and I never ever wanna have another discussion about you feeling shitty because I make more money. It won't ever matter anymore after today. One pot we both spend from as we see fit. No feeling guilty or shitty about taking money out of it. You won't be taking my money, you will be taking our money. And that's that. And guess fucking what? It's not up for discussion! Now grab your all your fucking bank stuff. I mean it.” 

Daryl was speechless. He had never heard her yell like that before and he'd never seen her that angry. It turned him on. He stalked towards her and grabbed her, slinging his arms around her tightly to make an escape impossible. He kissed her roughly, nipping at her lips and tugging at her bottom lip with his teeth.

“Daryl, no... I mean it...” Teddy pulled her head back, pressing the words out between the attacks of his lips and tongue. Daryl pulled away from her with a smirk.

“Say 'all your fucking bank stuff' again.”

Teddy narrowed her eyes at him. “This is not the time to make fun of my accent.”

“Come on. Say it. Say it for me. OOOAALL my fucking bank stuff?” he grinned, teasing her about her New York accent. It wasn't heavy, by any means, but he found it absolutely endearing when it was clearly noticeable when she said 'all' or 'talk'. He loved teasing her about it a little. “You wanna 'coll' ahead and tell them we're comin'? Wanna take some 'cawfee' to keep you awake during boring bank manager 'tolk'?”

Oh how she hated him sometimes. She wanted to stay mad, but the corners of her mouth were twitching and a little laugh burst out of her.

“You're an ass.” she poked his ribs, while he kissed her forehead with a chuckle. “I mean it though. We're doing it and we're doing it right now. I don't wanna be afraid at you flipping out at something like me wanting to pay for take-out.”

“Yeah okay, whatever you want.”

“Good. Get your things.” she wriggled out of his grasp and got her purse.

Daryl got the things he needed and opened the front door for her, waving her through. “Ahrite, let's get outa hea...” he mocked her accent a little more, almost making himself burst into laughter. This time Teddy was the one who was growling while she walked past him, shaking her head in frustration.

“Oh shut up!”

########## ####### ######## ####### ######## #######


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

After a couple of days Teddy's health seemed to take a turn for the worse again. She felt like shit all the time. She wasn't just tired anymore, she was downright exhausted and she had headaches from hell, that couldn't even be cured by popping the usual pain killers. She had to get special ones to treat migraines with. At home Daryl wouldn't let her go to the bathroom alone, because she got so nauseous and dizzy that she felt like she was in an episode of Deadliest Catch. She kept swaying and holding on the the wall more than Daryl was comfortable with. They barely talked anymore, because as soon as she was home, she swallowed down some food and practically started falling asleep as soon as she had put her fork and knife down. Needless to say, Daryl was more than just a little bit on edge and he was glad that her appointment would be on the next day.

###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ####### #######

 

Daryl  
Today, 1:28 PM  
How U feeling? Still think U should go home.

Teddy sighed, when she read his text message. He must be on the edge of his seat, if he was texting during work hours, and texting more than one or two words even. They had been texting on and off all morning. It had taken forever for him to get her to wake up in the morning and she had looked horrible. She had slept for 11 hours and still she was sickly pale and had dark circles underneath her eyes. She had been in pain again. He'd noticed, when she had pressed her hand against the right side of her lower abdomen, just like the first time she had come home with that kind of pain bothering her.

Teddy  
Today, 1:30 PM  
Honey, I love you, but please back off. I can do this. I'm fine.

Fine? Was she fucking kidding? She looked like death on legs. He couldn't understand why Gerald wasn't sending her home. Surely he hadn't gone blind and had seen the condition his daughter was in. He gripped the phone harder until his knuckles turned white, then in a rush of impulsive anger, he threw the phone against the wall, where it bounced off the wrenches and fell down on the workbench.

His colleagues all jumped in shock at the sudden and unfamiliar noise, looking at him questioningly. 

“The fuck are y'all lookin' at? Go back ta work.” he growled and scowled at the men, before he turned to go and retrieve his phone.

“Teddy isn't doing so good lately, is she?” Billy approached Daryl carefully. “She text you? What's going on?”

“What the fuck do ya think is going on? The fuck do you care anyway?” Daryl spat in his direction, while he grabbed his phone. The display was smashed. Great, that just brought back more memories from the morning he found Teddy injured by the side of the road. The display of her phone had been smashed, too. 

“I'm her twin brother...”

“Yeah, what a great twin brother ya been lately.”

“Look, Maggie had that kind of cyst, two years ago. It's really harmless. Just went away on its own. She didn't even know she had it, probably would have never known if she hadn't gone in for a check-up. She was fine, and Teddy will be, too.” Billy hoped that realizing that Maggie was completely fine over two years later, would make Daryl calm down. 

Daryl just scoffed and as anger turned into rage, he spun around and started towards Billy. “Oh yeah? Maggie ever been in so much pain she couldn't walk? She been so tired she could barely keep her eyes open all day, every fucking day? She been white as a wall 24/7? She ever stop wearin' her damn beloved heels, because she got dizzy so much that she was scared of breaking her neck? You wanna know what's going on? Actually what's going on is, that you need to get over your fucking pathetic shit! She's your sister. She'd do fucking anything for you, ya know that? And you call her a waste of air just 'cause of them damn rings ya never wanted in the first place? She's sick, boy! She's fucking sick and you don't know if she's gon' be around much longer. So you better get over being a whiny petty bitch and start apologizin'.” Daryl's voice started to shake and crack and before he humiliated himself by crying in front of Billy. Teddy's brother stared at him in shock with wide eyes and almost fell on his ass, when Daryl shoved him hard against the chest to get him out of the way and started towards the restroom. Daryl locked himself into one of the two stalls and leaned his forehead against the cool metal of the wall. Finally the wetness in his eyes spilled over, a single sob escaping him.

“Pussy.” he admonished himself and took a deep shuddering breath. He knew he had turned into a cry-baby, but as hard as he tried to keep it together, he couldn't. He was so fucking scared of what could happen. Just beneath the surface he had been a nervous wreck for the past month and that tension in his body was killing him. Teddy had kept reassuring him that everything would be fine, but apparently, that had been a lie. The rate at which she had gotten worse over the past couple of days scared the crap out of him. He was sure that the thing on her ovary was cancer after all. She was deteriorating too quickly for that thing to be nothing bad. That speed at which it was all happening made for a very worried Daryl.

####### ###### ####### ###### ###### ###### #######

“Your brother wants to talk to you. Shall I put him through?” Judy, Teddy's and Gerald's receptionist asked, while Teddy was standing next to her desk, signing some things for her patients.

“Uhhmmm... yeah.” Teddy replied with a frown after checking the time on her watch. The boss had to be out for both Daryl AND Billy to text and call during work. She went back to her office and took the call.

“Hey. What's up? Everything okay with Maggie?”

“Yeah, so far so good. Listen, your husband is having a meltdown. He's really freaking out right now. Is it true? You're sick? It's cancerous?” Teddy's eyes widened in shock when she heard Billy's concerned voice and realized what he was saying. Daryl had told him she was sick???

“What??? No, it's not cancerous. What on God's green earth is going on over there?”

“He got your text and he went ballistic. Smashed his phone against a wall and went off on us. Looked like he was about to cry and break down. What did you text him? He said you have all this stuff going on. You get dizzy and shit? Maggie didn't have that when she had that thing. You gonna be okay?”

Teddy started shaking internally, her heart broke for Daryl. She just didn't know what else to do to ease his worries and make him calm down about the whole thing, than to tell him everything was going to be okay. Of course he didn't believe her. She knew what she looked like these days. She knew it wasn't uncommon if hormones got out of control, but to Daryl this must look horrible. Unfortunately she just didn't have much energy left to take greater efforts in placating him.

“I think I will be.” she murmured while she banged her forehead against the edge of the desk lightly.

“You THINK you will be?” Billy rubbed a hand over his face and sighed deeply. “What in the world is that supposed to mean?”

“I don't know, I can't think at all these days. I just wanna sleep until that thing is gone.”

“Is Daryl right?”

“No. I don't think so. I truly don't think it's cancer, Billy. I looked at the ultrasound and I couldn't see any solid tissue and that's generally good.”

“But?”

“I don't know. That whole female stuff is just so weird and complex, Billy. I shouldn't have this cyst at all, so that could already be cause for concern and at the same time it doesn't have to be cause for concern. The standard procedure is to monitor it for about two to three cycles and if it hasn't dissolved in that time frame, then you do more workup, get blood tests, surgery and all that jazz. I know all that and I know I don't have to be worried, at least not yet, but I feel so crappy. I know it's normal, but it still makes you wonder a little. I think what worries me the most is how much Daryl worries. He firmly believes that I'm sick and it's not helping me, you know? But try telling that to Daryl.”

“You should try. He's your husband and he's going out of his mind right now. I'll hand ya over, okay? Take care, I'll talk to you soon.” Billy said his goodbyes and entered the restroom. He held the phone over the door for Daryl to reach. “Talk to your wife.”

Daryl took the phone and once he'd heard the door close behind Billy, he held it up to his ear. “Hey.”

“Baby? What's going on?”

“Ya ain't fine, Teddy. Ya ain't.”

“I am. I'm gonna be, Daryl. And I need you to believe that. You trying to convince me that I'm sick is not helping me feel better right now.”

“Shit, girl...”

“Daryl, please listen to me. I know you want me to stay home and I would love to, but I can't. My father isn't getting any younger and he needs my help. He can't do everything alone around here. I've been out long enough with my injury and he's tired, too, you know.”

“Can't he see how shitty yer feelin'? Why ain't he sending ya home? Just for today?”

“He tried, but I said no. Don't blame him. I need to do this. As shitty as I feel, work still distracts me a little from everything. Can you try to do that for me, too? It might take another month until that thing goes away.” Teddy asked gently, trying to express puppy dog eyes through her voice.

“Awesome. And that's s'pposed ta calm me down?”

“Exactly. Honey, please get a grip on that for the both of us. We have to go back to work now. We can talk more tonight. Okay?”

“Yeah, if ya don't fall asleep within 20 minutes again.”

“Please baby. I'll see you tonight. I love you.” Daryl just grunted in reply and Teddy hung up with a sigh. She understood that he was worried, but the way he acted wasn't helping her feel better, because she started to worry if HE was gonna be okay through all the things that could happen.

###### ######## ###### ####### ###### ######

Bernadette walked into Gerald's study later that evening, balancing two cups of coffee in her hands, careful not to spill anything.

“What are you looking at, my love?” she put the cups down on his desk and looked over his shoulder.

“Teddy's ultrasound from when she went to the hospital a couple of weeks ago. See this? That's the cyst.”

“Oh my, that looks big.” Bernadette frowned and looked closer.

“It is big. Bigger than I'd like. Can barely see the ovary anymore. No wonder it's causing her pain.”

“You're worried.” she stated and took a seat at the edge of his desk.

“She's my daughter, of course I'm worried. Especially now. I didn't know it was that big.” Gerald sighed with a concerned frown on his face.

“Why don't they just remove it? Especially if it's painful for her?”

“They always do one or two months of watchful waiting first. Mostly because most cysts go away during that time, so no surgery would be needed. They don't want to jump the gun and cut people open, if all they have to do is swallow a couple of pain pills for a couple of weeks and wait.” he sighed and looked back at the picture. “I keep looking at it, trying to see if Dr. Hainesworth missed something. You wanna know what the usual treatment would be?”

“What?”

“Ovarian cysts that don't go away get treated by having the woman swallow birth control pills. That's the thing. Teddy is on birth control, so she shouldn't even have it and the fact that even though she continues to take them, she is still feeling so badly... that has me worried.”

“But does it look malignant to you?” Bernadette asked and looked at the picture again.

“It looks like fluid, but in the end, the cyst might not even be the problem, Bernie. The fact that it is there despite the pills might mean that there is something else going on. That there could be a malignant growth somewhere else, that is causing this. I will talk to Teddy tomorrow. She should have Dr. Hainesworth perform an internal ultrasound. It could still be a cervical or a uterine tumor that's causing this and the external ultrasound might not catch it.” Gerald was talking more to himself, spinning his theories and coming up with a plan. He was startled when he heard a sob coming from Bernadette and he looked at her in concern.

“Oh Bernie,... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. Everything is going to be fine. I said it might be bad, but it could very well just be stress that is causing the symptoms and/or the cyst.”

“I just remembered something.” Bernadette wiped at her tears. “My grandfather, he had this saying. 'When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.' He said it's nature's way of maintaining the balance. Shortly before Teddy and Billy were born, he died and just days later his sister died. When Milo was born, your father died. And now we have a grandchild on the way... and Teddy gets this?”

“Bernadette, that is nonsense and you know it.” Gerald admonished his wife gently. “The good thing is that the pain alerted her immediately. Whatever it is, it will be taken care of early. Our daughter is not going to die. Both, Teddy and our grandson will be fine. And by the logic of your grandfather, why did Milo have to die then if someone had died before he arrived? Don't believe in that superstitious tale.”

“But now you have me worried sick with your tales of uterine and cervical growths. Why did you say it in the first place, you know I can't stand our children being sick. Maybe I should go over there and take care of her. Cook for them, so Daryl can spend more time with her.” Bernadette wiped the tears away with her fingers and took several deep breaths to compose herself.

“I'm sure Daryl has it covered. We should leave them alone. Teddy is exhausted and I'm sure she doesn't want anyone else around. If they need help, they will call.” Gerald knew that Teddy and Bernadette never got along for very long, if stuck together and since Teddy was getting annoyed with people worrying, this would only serve to upset her even more.

“I just want to help. If she really turns out to be sick, who knows what will happen...”

“Bernie, stop talking like that. Teddy is not dying. She is young and she is strong. Even if she does turn out to be sick, it is not a death sentence and I won't let you act like it is.” Gerald's tone turned slightly sharper. He knew that his wife had a penchant for drama and this would be an opportunity for her to blow it completely out of proportion and have her friends at the country club lavish all their attention on her. He loved his wife, but he was aware that she was far from perfect and that she loved being the center of attention.

“Teddy and Billy are still fighting.” Bernadette sighed and accepted the handkerchief her husband handed her.

“They aren't fighting, they are on speaking terms, Bernie.”

“But it's not the same. Teddy is still holding a grudge.”

“And you blame her? I was about to put him over my knee and slap him silly.” Gerald laughed incredulously.

“You know how it is. We're not supposed to have favorites, but-”

“Billy's your little momma's boy and Teddy is my little daddy's girl.” Gerald smiled and squeezed her knee. “Every parent has a favorite, just like the kids have a favorite. You and Teddy clash and Billy and I don't see eye to eye very often. It's the way it is.”

“We made so many mistakes with them. I regret so much.” Bernadette admitted. It wasn't news to Gerald, though. They've talked about it a lot in the last couple of years.

“So do I. We should have raised them ourselves during their formative years. We had money, we didn't have to work so much, but we were both ambitious young people and put our professional lives first, letting the nanny take care of them. A lot could have been avoided if we had done the right thing and had cut back on work.”

“Yes. Maybe they wouldn't have gotten so out of control and we wouldn't have had to separate them. Maybe they wouldn't have grown up to be so different. He was so sad at the wedding, because she didn't let him be her witness. It breaks my heart. He needs her right now, he's got so many questions-”

“He dug his own grave, Bernie. It's all because he can't get over the fact that I supported Teddy during med school. That's all it is. They are so different in that department. Billy wants to swim in money, but can't because he chose to be a mechanic and is mad because we didn't buy him his own garage. Teddy doesn't care about money, but she has it because she chose med school and became a doctor. They both chose their own path, we had nothing to do with that, now they both have to live with it. All it takes for those two to really reconcile is for Billy to overcome that grudge he's been holding against her for the past 10 years. I don't understand why he is still so upset about it all. He made a life for himself. He's got a steady job, a beautiful and smart wife and a son about to arrive soon... Others would kill for that. He still has a lot of growing up to do and I hope being a father himself will get him there.”

“I think it will. Do you think Teddy will really be okay?”

“We will hopefully find out tomorrow. I will call her right away to tell her to get an internal ultrasound.”

“Tell her I wanna go with her. I'm free anyway and if it turns out to be not so good news, she shouldn't be alone.”

“Will do.” Gerald picked up the phone, before he forgot to tell her about it. He would see her in the morning at work, but that didn't mean that he would remember telling her during the morning rush.

############ ######### ###### ####### ####### ######

“What did yer old man want?” Daryl asked, when Teddy hung up the phone.

“Promise me you won't freak out?”

“You sayin' that is already freaking me out. What is it?”

“He told me to get an internal ultrasound, too and not just an external one. Worst case scenario could be, that the cyst itself is just a symptom. There could be growths on my cervix or uterus that could have caused the cyst.” Teddy explained, watching Daryl close his eyes and shake his head with a sarcastic smile.

“Great. Just fucking great. Any more good news you wanna share?” he spat, immediately feeling like a piece of crap, when her face fell. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, whatever. I'm going to bed. Just wanna sleep.” Teddy muttered and got up from the couch. She quickly grabbed the arm of it a second later, when the room started spinning again. Daryl was by her side within a second, lifting her arm over his shoulder and hoisting her up into his arms. He carried her to their bed and gently set her down on her side of it. He left again, but just to turn off the TV and kill the lights before he joined her in bed. He didn't feel like watching TV by himself. He wanted to be close to her. He felt like a pig, but he had the desperate urge to make love to her, despite her condition. It wasn't about his own sexual gratification, he just wanted to hold her as close as humanly possible, feel her surrounding him and make her feel good, give her some relief from the stress her body was putting her through. Needless to say, that wasn't happening by a long shot. Teddy was barely conscious at night and if she was, she was wrecked by intense headaches.

She was already asleep when he came back to bed, but she woke back up only two hours later, moaning when she felt like her head was going to crack open. Daryl was still awake, he was too nervous about her appointment the next day and he instantly turned towards her and gently touched her cheek. “Headache again, darlin'?”

She turned her head towards him and thought she was dying. The pain was unbelievable, it was like she had a concussion again. “Migraine pills... please.” she tried to take slow deep breaths, to get through it somehow, but while Daryl went to the bathroom to get the pills, her vision turned spotty and there was no possibility for her to make it to the bathroom in time. She just barely accomplished leaning her head over the side of the bed in time, before the intense headache made her vomit her dinner on the floor. That was her breaking point. She started crying. She was deeply ashamed for what had just happened and when she heard Daryl rush towards her, she yelled for him to stay away.

“NO! Don't look. Please, don't look. Just get back in bed. I'll clean it up myself. Please, just give me a minute.”

“Teddy... Ya can barely move.” he said gently, staying rooted to the spot, after her plea.

“I can do it. I'll feel better in a couple of minutes. Just need the pounding to stop for a moment.” She cried and rested her forehead on the edge of the mattress. 

“You don't have to do it. Seen worse...”

“I won't have you clean up my vomit. No discussion.”

“Lemme at least get everything ya need.” Daryl tried again. He saw her nod slightly and went to the kitchen, making sure not to look at the floor on her side of the bed. He got her a bucket and everything else she might need and set it on the floor by the foot of the bed. Teddy moved slowly and went down on her knees to clean the mess she had made. She was still crying and it tore Daryl's heart out to see her like that. He wished she would just get back in bed and let him help.

After a couple of minutes she crawled back into bed and popped the migraine pill into her mouth with shaky hands. Daryl took care of the cleaning supplies and then took another trip to the bathroom, bringing some mouthwash and a cold, wet washcloth back for her. While Teddy rinsed her mouth, he gently moved her hair out of the way and pressed the washcloth against the back of her neck. Teddy spit into an empty glass and closed her eyes, a little blissful sigh escaping her lips.

“That feels so good.” she mumbled and pressed back against his hand. 

“Come here...” he gently tugged on her arm with his free hand, hoping she would let him hold her. Teddy went willingly, almost sobbing when she felt his familiar embrace. It had been a couple of days, since she felt it, even though she needed it more than ever. She had just been so out of it after work, she had been too tired to even cuddle properly. She slowly moved her head and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you. I'm sorry that I'm such a shitty wife right now. You're the best husband, though. Seriously.”

Daryl turned his head, so he would be able to catch her lips. He kissed her gently, fully intent on pulling away, but when Teddy slid her hand over his neck to the back of his head and held him to her for a second longer, his control slipped a little bit. His whole body felt like it was buzzing with electricity and he swore that the hairs on his arms were standing up. His grip on her tightened, turned possessive, and when he caught her bottom lip between his and swept his tongue over it, he growled quietly.

Teddy pulled back and squinted up at him in the dim light of the lamp. The light still hurt her eyes. “I'm sorry baby. I wish I could, but I can't.”

Daryl stiffened and quickly lifted his head away from hers. He felt like shit. He didn't even know what to say, so he just held her and alternated between pressing the washcloth against her neck and pressing it against her forehead. 

About half an hour later, she felt better again. They laid back down and Daryl was disappointed that Teddy chose her own cool pillow to rest her head on, but he understood. It soothed her more than his hot skin. He turned on his side to face her and gently stroked his fingertips up and down her arm, to maintain at least a little bit of contact.

“I'm sick of feeling like this.” Teddy admitted quietly. “Here I am, waiting for this appointment tomorrow, because my subconscious is foolishly telling me, that once she tells me it has shrunk, that all the symptoms go away at once. Not bloody likely.”

“Guess not.” Daryl agreed.

“Maybe I'll ask her to just remove it, but she'll decline, because they like to wait another couple of weeks to make sure it really isn't going away, so no sense in asking, really.”

“You can't do this another month and they can't force ya to.”

“I don't know anything anymore right now. I'd love to sleep until it's all over.” She had barely finished her sentence, when the phone rang. Daryl frowned, but went to get it anyway.

“The fuck is calling this late?” he muttered. When he saw the caller ID he quickly shut up, because he figured if Billy called that late at night, something had to be happening with Maggie and the baby. He quickly brought the phone back to Teddy, so she could answer it herself.”

“Billy? What's going on?” She murmured tiredly into the phone. Daryl was able to hear Billy's frantic voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. Teddy listened for a moment, before she cut him off. “How often? Okay, tell her to lay down. No moving around. Tell her to try to get comfortable and get her to relax. I'm on my way. Just try to stay calm, okay? I'll be right there.”

“What do you mean you'll be right there? Yer in no condition to-” Daryl started arguing as soon as she had hung up.

“Maggie thinks she's having contractions and she's freaking out. It's probably just Braxton-Hicks, but I'm going, Daryl.”

“Well, ya ain't going alone. I'm not crazy enough ta let ya drive 20 miles in the middle of the night with that headache of yours.”

“Fine.” Teddy didn't put up a fight. To be honest she felt a lot safer having Daryl with her. 

######## ####### ###### ###### ####### #######

“First thing you're gon' do is send Maggie to another doctor.” he announced when they were in the car and on their way to the farm. “Should have done that months ago, when we last talked about it on yer birthday. It ain't good for ya. Especially not now.”

“Daryl, she is in the homestretch. She and Billy are already running around like chicken with their heads cut off, they will loose their minds if they have to go looking for another doctor now. And also I wanna do this, okay? I'm not sending her to anybody else.”

“If she don't give birth tonight, ya have to send her to someone else.”

“No I don't. You can't even begin to understand, Daryl. You can't put yourself in Maggie's shoes, I know that, but trust me when I say, that you don't want a stranger in there with you when it's time to give birth. You want someone you know and trust and who's been there for you all along and talked you through everything. Even if I wouldn't wanna do it, I wouldn't do that to Maggie. So not up for discussion.” Teddy said with finality. Not up for discussion had become kind of a signal for them. When one of them said it, the other knew that they seriously meant it.

“Fine. Guess next on the list to get some stress out of your system would be you and your brother resolving your shit.” he sighed, not really seeing that happening yet.

“How can we possibly resolve this? Even though we've had this stupid fight over and over for years now, I didn't realize until this last one, that he actually meant what he kept saying all the time. It hurts and I can't forget about it. I think about it every day. He just confirmed what I knew all along: that the only thing I'm good at is my job and that's it. The truth hurts. Knowing that he knows it's true, hurts even more.”

“How on earth did ya get this shitty self-esteem?”

“Who knows. Maybe it's a childhood thing or something. I love my job, don't get me wrong, I like what I do, but sometimes I think, maybe the only reason why I always wanted to be a doctor was, because I hoped for my Dad to finally notice me? They just never really spent any time with us when we were kids. He even less than our Mom. I know this sounds horrible, and maybe it's not even true, but I always felt like I loved him more, than I love my Mom, you know? Like he was my favorite. When he fired me,... I know I acted all tough and trust me, I would have thrown it all away for you, but still, I wanted to die for a minute. It hurt so much that he rejected me in that way, just because I was in love for the first time.” Teddy admitted, what she had never told him before. She was confused for a moment, when Daryl smirked and looked at her with cute, knowing expression of his.

“Why do ya think I tried leaving that night? Had already figured it out, woman. I can read ya like a book. I knew you were hurtin' like crazy. Wanted ta fix it by leaving you alone. Getting you your job back and getting you back in yer daddy's good graces.”

“And I knew that that was exactly what you were trying to do. That's why I begged you to stay. Smart thing I did or I wouldn't be wearing these pretty rings on my finger now.”

“I knew you just married me for them rings.” he laughed and reached over to squeeze her thigh affectionately. “But what about Billy? You know yourself, that I was fucking mad at him. Still am for putting ya down like that, but in the end you're the stronger person. He's acting like a whiny little girl with jealousy issues. He seems to forget, that your parents send YOU away and kept him with them. What would he have done if they would have sent him away? He would'a hanged himself. Nobody loves poor Billy.”

“Don't. I know he's an ass, but I still don't like you talking about him like that.”

“He's your brother and ya love him. I know that. I get it. Look at me and Merle. He's been a damn bastard for pretty much all ma life and still I wouldn't be able to leave him behind and never talk ta him again.”

“And your point would be...?”

“You are the stronger person,... maybe ya gotta be the stronger person again and forgive him. I ain't saying that he was right, not at all, but you two being like this is hurtin' ya. Just for the sake of yer well-being, ya know, maybe ya gotta try swallow it down somehow.”

“Don't you think I tried that, Daryl? I don't know. My head is too full to even think about that Billy crap right now. It's not like we're constantly yelling at each other.”

“Nah, you're barely talking anymore...”

“Like I said, can't think about that right now.” Teddy ended the discussion. She fell silent and thought of a game plan in case it did turn out to be real contractions.

“We might be here a while, wanna go see if Merle is still up?” she asked as soon as they parked in front of Hershel Greene's house.

“No need. He's up here.” Daryl said and pointed at the door that just opened.

“Like Billy said... everybody is always around. I get why that's bothering him.” Teddy muttered and got out of the car, walking up the steps of the porch alongside Daryl.

Merle frowned when he studied an approaching Teddy, nearly making her roll her eyes.

'Not him, too.' she thought and just mumbled a greeting before she made her way inside.

Merle's gaze shifted towards Daryl, the younger brother briefly letting his fear show on his face, before he put his stoic mask back into place. Merle clapped his hand down on Daryl's shoulder, squeezing hard for a moment, not the best at offering comfort.

“She's gon' be alright, baby bro.” he stated confidently, but even he had to admit, that Teddy looked like crap.

Teddy meanwhile had entered the bedroom Billy and Maggie shared. She smiled gently at Maggie, who looked scared to death.

“Oh thank you God, you're here. I'm freaked out, I think I'm having contractions. It feels so weird and my belly gets rock hard.”

“Okay, we'll check it out. How often did you have them?”

“Once or twice per hour.” Maggie replied, looking at Billy for confirmation. 

“Yeah, that's what you said.” Billy agreed.

“Alright, how long did they last? Did they hurt at all?” Teddy asked next, although she was already pretty sure that it was a false alarm.

“Just a couple of seconds and it didn't hurt. It just feels like someone is pulling on my skin. Or my muscles. Tightening it, I think. It's hard to explain.”

“Has it happened again since you laid down and got comfortable?” Teddy asked and put on some gloves.

“No. Gosh, it's these other contractions, right? I called you out here for nothing. I'm so sorry.” Maggie started to apologize, her hormones bringing her close to crying.

“Don't apologize, sweetie. It's what I'm here for. And better safe than sorry. Let me check your cervix, alright?” Maggie nodded and with Billy's help, undressed her lower half, so Teddy would be able to examine her.

“Still firmly closed. Nothing to worry about.” Teddy announced after a minute and withdrew her fingers from Maggie. “I'm sure it's just Braxton-Hicks. Okay guys, listen closely. Braxton-Hicks is completely normal at this stage, but keep monitoring how often it happens. If you have four of them within an hour, call me, because it could be a sign of preterm labor. Look out for changes in the contractions, if they become rhythmic, longer and painful, call me. If you get cramps, like during your period or dull and rhythmic pain in your lower back, call me. Otherwise, if they keep coming irregularly and only like once or twice an hour, just try to change your position, or take a warm bath and drink plenty of water. Sometimes these contractions can be brought on by dehydration. You got all that?”

“Basically look out for how often and how long. If it gets painful we'll call anyway.” Billy summed it up.

“Good. Right now everything looks good. Just try to get some rest guys. You'll need it.” Teddy smiled. “Try to relax as much as possible. I know it's not easy, but try.”

“Maybe you should take your own advice.” Billy told her gently. “You look like shit.”

“Geez, thanks. Just don't okay? I feel bad enough, I don't need everybody telling me how shitty I look or trying to convince me I'm sick.” Teddy lost her temper for a moment, but she quickly caught herself for Maggie's sake. “I'm sorry. Just call if anything changes.” She kissed Maggie's cheek and squeezed Billy's shoulder, before she made a quick exit. She couldn't stand how everyone was looking at her. It's like they all thought she was a goner. That sure didn't help make her feel any better.

####### ####### ####### ###### ###### #######

The next day during her lunch break, Teddy and Bernadette drove to the hospital for her second appointment. When Teddy got called into the exam room, Bernadette squeezed her hand tightly, before letting her go in. It had been obvious that Teddy had been nervous as hell, even though she had wanted to play it cool.

“I'd be asking how you're feeling, but it's pretty obvious.” Dr. Hainesworth smiled sympathetically. “So still symptoms?”

“Yeah, and a lot worse, unfortunately. Skull-splitting headaches that make me throw up, and I get so dizzy it's not even funny anymore. My father suggested we should do an internal ultrasound as well today, check out my cervix and uterus for anomalies.”

“I was about to suggest that as well. Especially now that you still have those symptoms. Please, disrobe and let's take a look.” 

Teddy took off her shoes and pulled off her panties. She hated being completely naked from the waist down during these kinds of exams, so she always wore skirts she could just hike up. It made her feel less vulnerable. She took her place on the exam table, while Dr. Hainesworth sat down in front of the ultrasound machine and pressed a couple of keys on the keyboard. 

“I'm going to do the internal ultrasound first.” She informed Teddy, who took a deep breath to relax herself. Now that she was so close to finding out if there were even more anomalies, she got scared. She wished Daryl was here to hold her hand, but just when she started her lunch break, his ended, so it had been impossible for him to be there today.

“I'll look at your ovary first.” The doctor announced and inserted the probe. Teddy took another deep breath. She hated this part with a passion. She felt the hard plastic press uncomfortably against her inner wall and tried to relax more, but her breathing picked up a little, because of the fear that got stronger by the second. “I'm afraid that cyst is still there and it hasn't gotten smaller either.”

“I figured.” Teddy sighed. It meant more nights like the one yesterday and the ones before.

“Checking cervix and uterus now.” Dr. Hainesworth moved the probe and a very nervous Teddy started shaking internally. Here came the moment of truth. Her stomach dropped when she heard a sound, you never wanna hear from your doctor during an exam like this: A gasp.

“Oh my...” the doctor breathed, and Teddy swore her heart stopped beating.

“What?” Teddy asked, looking at the doctor anxiously.

“Your father was right.” Dr. Hainesworth explained and Teddy started shaking in earnest. “There's a growth... See for yourself.” She turned the screen around to face her patient. 

Teddy's eyes fell on the image on the screen and she felt like the rug got pulled out from under her. Her whole world came crashing down around her and panic filled up every fiber of her being. Her brain wasn't able to comprehend the whole situation, and yet she knew exactly what was happening. Her voice didn't even sound like her own to her ears, as it came out as a croaked whisper.

“I'm pregnant...”


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Teddy had a weird beeping noise in her ear and her whole head felt like it was made out of cotton candy. Everything was fuzzy and sticky and bile started to rise in her throat. She had the weird sensation of not even being in her own body anymore, it was like she was standing next to the exam table and was watching the whole scene as an anxious spectator.

Dr. Hainesworth turned the screen back so she could continue examining Teddy. She pressed a couple of keys and moved the probe slightly. “Congratulations, Dr. Dixon. You are most certainly pregnant. And it looks like you've been for a while. The fetus is measuring 10 weeks and 2 days.”

“11 weeks...”

“Yes, almost done with your first trimester.” the doctor smiled, while she continued to check out Teddy's cervix, uterus and left ovary for anomalies.

“How did we miss that the last time?” Teddy didn't recognize her own voice. It was hollow and disconnected. She was absolutely shocked.

“We didn't do an internal ultrasound, just external. If I'm correct you had just completed week number six. In some mothers I barely see anything during an internal ultrasound at that stage, so the chances of detecting this externally were slim to none. Also we weren't exactly looking for that.”

“Of course.” Stupid question, Teddy thought to herself. She just wasn't able to wrap her mind around it. She tried to calculate in her head, but it was of no use. The numbers just kept getting scrambled up and she kept getting stuck and more and more frustrated by the minute.

“Okay, the good news is, that everything is just the way it is supposed to be. No growths or shadows or other cysts, just the one on your right ovary. I'll take another look at the fetus now.”

“There's no way it's healthy. I've had alcohol, I've had tons of pain meds, I'm not the healthiest eater by nature, I've had tons of caffeine as well...” Teddy rambled, while she stared at the ceiling.

“Your baby seems to be developing just as it should be. Everything looks good. Nice strong heartbeat. A little fast, but I'm guessing that's because yours is a little faster than usual right now, isn't it?”

“There's just no way. It can't be healthy...”

“We both know that it IS possible, Dr. Dixon. Some mothers drink and smoke excessively during pregnancy, take drugs even, and still give birth to perfectly healthy children. When I had my third child, I didn't know I was pregnant, either and I took Nyquil every 4 hours and Ibuprofen every 6 hours for 8 weeks straight, because I was sick, and my son was absolutely fine. Of course we will keep a close eye on your baby's development in the coming weeks, but right now, everything looks just perfect.” She printed out a picture for Teddy and removed the ultrasound probe with a little chuckle. “And another man who will think he has bionic little swimmers.”

“Well, you can bet your ass he secretly cheered those little fuckers on.” Teddy mumbled humorlessly, making the other doctor's smile falter a little.

“I have a theory here. Jump in any time when you disagree.” Dr. Hainesworth said, while Teddy pushed her skirt back down to cover herself.

“Alright, go ahead.”

“Obviously late last year, you're birth control pills were ineffective. You did have an ovulation, which caused the cyst. You got pregnant and all your symptoms are for the most part pregnancy related. Fatigue, nausea, dizzy spells, all completely normal. The pains were probably a mix of cyst and the usual stretching pains and the growing uterus probably put some more pressure on that cyst. I would like to do the usual battery of tests now, urine sample, take some blood samples for a full blood screen, and I'd like to do a quick hemoglobin test to check your base iron level. I'm thinking that with the progression of the pregnancy, your iron level dropped. As you know a low iron level also causes fatigue, inability to concentrate, dizzy spells and nausea. It would explain why your symptoms exacerbated in the past week and why you are so pale.”

“Yeah, it all makes perfect sense.” Teddy agreed with a sigh. “It's like double the symptoms.”

“Exactly. With the finger prick test we will know in a couple of minutes and we can start treating the iron deficiency right away. As soon as that level goes back up you should be feeling better and in about two weeks when you enter your second trimester, you should be as good as new.” Dr. Hainesworth smiled and gently patted Teddy's hand, where it gripped the exam table in a death grip.

“I know. It was like that in my first pregnancy. As soon as the second trimester rolled around, boom, no more morning sickness, no fatigue, but a round belly and bigger boobs and tons of energy.” Teddy told her doctor, while the older woman gathered everything she would need for taking Teddy's blood and do the hemoglobin test. “I can't believe I've been so stupid. I should have known. It was almost exactly the way I felt back then, but the thought that I could be pregnant never crossed my mind. Not in a million years. I was on birth control and I had my period. Of course now I realize it was just implantation bleeding. I was just spotting,... I should have known.”

“Like you said, you were on birth control, you thought everything was in working order.” Dr. Hainesworth tried to keep Teddy from beating herself up, and reached for her right hand. She wiped the ring finger with an alcohol wipe and shortly after she plunged the lancet into Teddy's finger, making the younger woman wince. Those damn finger pricks could hurt like hell. The doctor wiped the first drop of blood away with a sterile gauze pad, so tissue fluid wouldn't dilute the sample, then she gently squeezed the finger to make another drop of blood emerge. She collected it with the collection device and checked the little tube for air bubbles, before dropping it into the testing device and setting it aside.

“So that cyst didn't cause the symptoms, which means it should be harmless and can stay where it is.”

“Yes.” Dr. Hainesworth confirmed, while she proceeded to take the blood samples she needed. “We will wait another month, see if it disappears or gets smaller. If it grows and causes more pain, we should think about removing it.”

“Aweseome.” Teddy sighed unhappily.

“Dr. Dixon,... I know that you know all this, but it's still my job to bring it up and inform you about other options...” Dr. Hainesworth always hated bringing that part up with her patients, but it was part of her job, and frankly, she didn't get the impression that Teddy was overly excited about being pregnant.

“I know. I shouldn't wait too long to make a decision,... My firstborn died of SIDS when he was 8 weeks. I don't know if I can handle having this baby.” Teddy explained emotionless. She seemed completely disconnected from what was happening.

“I'm very sorry to hear about your son. Well, you know what you have to do.” She was finished with the blood samples and asked Teddy to go to the restroom for a urine sample. When Teddy came back, she had the result of the hemoglobin test. “Like I suspected. Your iron level is very low, just 7 g/dl. You know, that we should get that up to about 12 or higher for now.”

“I'll adjust my diet.”

“Don't want me to prescribe iron pills?”

“No, they make me constipated like nobody's business. Don't really need that. Let's see what I can do by eating the right stuff first.” Teddy rubbed her face, tired of dealing with this crap already.

“Alright. Maybe you should pick up some prenatal vitamins, too. They will help making you feel better by supplying your body with what it needs. I will call you with the results of the blood test. That will show us for sure if we have anything else to worry about. I'm thinking that maybe you should come back in in two weeks, instead of next month. I'd like to monitor your baby more closely, should you decide to carry it to term.”

“Yeah fine. We done for now?” Teddy was anxious to get out of there, she really could use some fresh air.

“Yes. That's it for now. Take good care of yourself.” Dr. Hainesworth got up from her chair, and shook Teddy's hand, before the younger woman all but bolted from the room.

Outside the room, Bernadette jumped up from her chair, when Teddy finally re-appeared.

“Oh honey, you had me worried, that took so long! What's going on? Any news?” she was gripping her daughter's arms lightly, studying her tense features.

“I'm fine. Nothing to worry about. It's not cancer. The cyst is harmless, turns out I look and feel so bad because I'm anemic. I just have to boost my iron level and everything will be okay.” Teddy forced a smile.

“That's great news. Ha, I told your father you were gonna be fine. You know how he worries. Such a pessimist.” Bernadette joked, trying to hide her huge relief at the good news. She didn't want Teddy to know just how worried she had been, that her daughter might be very sick.

“Let's get back. This took longer than expected and I have patients waiting.” Teddy quickly turned towards the exit and walked ahead at a brisk pace, she couldn't stand being in that hospital even a minute longer. Bernadette didn't think much of Teddy' demeanor, she assumed that she was just exhausted and trying to hold it together.

######## ####### ####### ###### ######## ###### ######

As soon as she was back in the office Teddy left a message for Daryl with his boss, before she saw her first patient after the break. His cellphone was no longer working after it smashed into the wall, and they had to get him a new one on the weekend. As soon as a couple of patients had been dealt with and the first rush had died down, Gerald came in to inquire about news from the hospital. He looked at her with concerned curiosity, while he shut the door behind him.

“So? Did you have Dr. Hainesworth do the internal ultrasound?”

Teddy had been able to keep it together, but as soon as she saw her father, she was done. She burst into tears and practically launched herself into her father's arms. This time it was Gerald whose stomach dropped, fearing that his worst fears were coming true. He wrapped his arms around his daughter and soothingly rubbed her back, feeling sobs wracking her small shoulders.

“Oh sweetheart, please don't tell me I was right.” he muttered fearfully. 

“You weren't. It's not cancer. Actually everything is perfectly normal.” Teddy cried desperately, trying to get the words out as clearly as possible through the sobbing and hiccuping. “I'm pregnant, Daddy.”

Gerald's eyes were as big as saucers, as his jaw dropped. “Pregnant? Oh my, Teddy. That's wonderful.”

“No, it's not. I can't do this. I don't want this. Not like this. I already fucked up. I took ibuprofen and fioricet... there is just no way this would ever end well.” Teddy sobbed while she clung to her father, like she had last done when she had been 12 years old.

“You know, that ibuprofen is not very likely to be harmful during the first trimester, Teddy. Fioricet is more cause for concern. You didn't take that many, did you?”

“Four in the last 8 days.” she replied and let herself be guided towards her desk, so Gerald would be able to grab a tissue for her. “What am I even worried about? Might not even matter anyway.”

That made Gerald stop in his tracks in shock and he pushed Teddy slightly away from him, to be able to look at her face. “Theodora, you are not thinking about doing anything stupid, are you?”

“I can't do this. I can't have another child. Especially not under these circumstances, with the risk level already elevated.”

“What did Dr. Hainesworth say? How far along are you anyway?”

“11 weeks. She said everything looks completely normal. Strong heartbeat.” Teddy sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk and blew her nose.

“That sounds good, the critical phase is almost over and if it appears to be healthy, then it might end well after all.”

“You know that bad things can always happen, not just during the first 12 weeks.”

“And you are just looking for arguments to justify your thinking about an abortion, Teddy.” Gerald sat in the other chair and took a deep breath. “I know you are very scared. Everybody would be after what happened to Milo, but you can do this, Teddy. You are strong. And maybe you should just consider therapy again for the course of the pregnancy, you know, to help you through this alright. And you have a big support system around this time. Last time you were alone in Seattle, but this time you have a great husband and your whole family is here to have your back. We can help you.”

“Daddy, you can't tell anyone. Especially not Billy. And not Mom, either. She's gonna tell Billy, no matter how much she promises you not to.”

“You didn't tell your mother? But she was with you, she was worried.”

“I'm pregnant and anemic, but I just told her about the anemic part and that the cyst is harmless. Please, don't tell them. I don't want them to know until I can't hide it anymore or maybe they will never have to know.” Teddy begged with her father. Billy's jealousy about the rings was still fresh in her mind, even after almost two months.

“Honey, you ARE gonna tell Daryl, right?” Gerald was scared that she wanted to keep this completely under wraps. “It's his child, too. He has a say in this-”

“Of course I'm gonna tell, Daryl. I'm not that much of a monster. I'll talk to him later at home. I just don't know what to do. I'm scared and I'm already worried as hell, I can't do this for another thirty weeks. It's gonna drive me insane.” Teddy's lost look broke her father's heart. He was scared that she would rush into making a stupid decision just because she THOUGHT she wouldn't be able to handle this.

“You are gonna be fine, Teddy. We are all here for you. I'm here for you everyday, I will reassure you every day if I have to. We got the ultrasound machine right here, if I have to, I will check on that little squirt's health every single day. We got everything we need right here, as soon as you think that something isn't right, we can check it out immediately. You'll have much better care and monitoring than every other mother-to-be out there. You don't have to worry so much, sweetheart. So you wanna know what to do? I'll tell you what to do. You are gonna dry your tears and splash some water in your face, then you are going to see your other patients and tonight you will go home and talk this through with Daryl. See what he has to say.” Gerald handed her another tissue and gently patted her arm.

“I already know what he will say. He wanted a child all along.” Teddy sighed darkly, while she cleaned her face.

“That's great.” Gerald smiled proudly and a little surprised. He hadn't been sure that Daryl would be happy about the news, and much less he would have thought that Daryl actually wanted a child. He had never been overly excited about Maggie's pregnancy and had never participated when everybody had been uuuhing and aaahing over her growing belly.

“Yeah, guess it could be worse.” Teddy agreed.

“Well, I'm happy about having a second grandchild soon, hopefully. And I'm glad that it explains the cyst and all your symptoms. We can rest assured now.”

“Yeah. The blood test will show if there is anything to be worried about for sure, but I think it will be fine. The pregnancy plus the anemia is the perfectly logical explanation for all this. Just have to boost my level and power through the next two weeks and hopefully this sickness will stop then.”

“I'm sure it will.” 

“How do I look? Presentable again?” Teddy asked while she straightened her coat.

“Yes.” he hugged her once more, enjoying having her this close again after all those years. “Now let's get these patients taken care of, so you don't get out of here too late.”

####### ####### ####### ###### ####### ####### ######

“Dixon, your girlfriend called. Got a message for you.” Mike announced as he walked towards his employee, who was bent over an engine.

“Ain't got no girlfriend. She's ma wife now.” Daryl corrected him, while he straightened and wiped his greasy hands on a dirty rag.

“Whatever. You wanna know what she said or not?”

“Yeah. She okay?” Daryl inquired and tossed the rag back towards the raised hood of the car.

“She said that they found out what's wrong and that she'll be fine and that she'll explain when you're home.” Mike recited the message to Daryl, who shifted his weight in agitation and started chewing on the cuticle of his right thumb.

“That's it? She didn't say nothing else? Something's wrong, but she didn't tell ya what?”

“Nope, that's all she said. Guess you'll find out what's going on in a couple of hours.” Mike had already turned around and was walking towards his office, leaving Daryl even more agitated than before. 

He wished he hadn't smashed his phone and could text her or call her real quick. She'd said she'll be fine, but she had said that all along, when she clearly hadn't been fine. So that message really was pretty useless to him. All he could do now was wait. Of course the rest of the workday went by agonizingly slow, but as soon as it was time to punch out, he and Roxy hightailed it out of there. Now it was another 60 to 90 minutes of waiting until Teddy would be home and he would finally get some answers. At home he took a quick shower, because he'd gotten extremely greasy and grimy at work today. He would have loved to keep himself busy by starting dinner, but there wasn't much to prepare. It was just steak and baked potatoes with sour cream today. 

He chain-smoked by the open kitchen window, having to fight off Snoopy's attempts to climb out of it the whole time, until he finally heard the apartment door opening and closing. He almost burned himself by putting his smoke out in the ashtray, then he slammed the window shut and rushed to meet her in the living room.

“Hey.” he cradled her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips. “Yer message didn't say shit. What's going on?”

“I will tell you in a minute, please just let me get changed first, okay?” Teddy just wanted her comfy sweatpants and an old shirt and to curl up under the soft, warm microfleece blanket on the couch. She was freezing, she always was when she was tired or scared. Right now she was exhausted and downright panicking on the inside.

“Yeah, fine. Want something to drink?”

“Yes.” she nodded and opened her purse, handing him a little box she had taken from the practice's little kitchen. “Can you make me some of this please?”

Daryl looked at the box. It said rooibos tea and he had no idea how to even pronounce it. Since when did she drink tea? “Sure. Want a whole thermos or just a cup?”

“Thermos would probably be a good idea. Thanks, baby.” Teddy gave him another kiss, before she went to get changed and freshen up a bit, while Daryl went to work on making the tea. He was going out of his mind. Why couldn't she just tell him what was happening? Once the tea was done, he poured some in her favorite mug and took it back to the living room, where she was curling up into her favorite corner of the couch, with the blanket over her legs.

“So? What is it? That thing smaller now or what?” he asked anxiously while he sat down next to her and set the still too hot mug down on the coffee table.

“It's not smaller.” Teddy said and took a deep breath, quickly cutting him off, before he got a chance to rant. “But it's harmless, okay? I am not sick and I am not dying. It's not cancer or anything.” She had to take another deep breath. Her fingers were cold and clammy and were starting to shake. “The symptoms I had weren't caused by the cyst at all, actually.”

Daryl released a deep breath in relief, but he was still confused. “So something else is wrong? I mean, you're most definitely sick with something...”

“I'm anemic. My iron level is extremely low and that causes headaches and dizziness and fatigue. It's also why I look so shitty and pale.”

“But that ain't bad, right? Ya can just take some pills and be alright again?”

“Yeah, I could, but I prefer to boost the level by adjusting my diet. However... the reason why the symptoms got so bad is, because there's yet another thing going on.” Teddy tried to keep her voice steady, but it was to no avail. It wavered and she wrung her hands frantically, trying to get at least some warmth into her freezing digits.

“Jesus fucking Christ, what is it? Just spit it out!” Daryl was losing his temper. Why on earth did she have to make this so difficult? He just wanted to know what on earth was wrong with her and how they could fix it. Teddy was panicking. She held her breath for a moment, then started hyperventilating a little, then she took another deep breath, trying to keep it together.

“I'm pregnant.” she finally got the words out, miraculously loud and clear. No chance of being misheard or misunderstood. 

Daryl frowned at first, his brain not really registering what she had said, but it quickly caught up, rendering him utterly speechless. If Teddy would have been in the mood, she would have laughed her ass off at his stunned and shocked expression. Mouth agape, eyes wide, every feature just going slack, while he stared at her completely perplexed.

'I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant.' the words kept echoing inside his head. Slowly his brain started coming out of shock and his thought process got a kick-start. 'She's pregnant. She's pregnant. We're gon' have a baby. Holy fuck, Imma be a daddy.'

A smile started to tug at the corners of his lips and he shook his head in disbelief when his gaze dropped towards her stomach. “Holy shit, woman. I knocked ya up? Ain't no way.” he muttered with amazement evident in his voice.

“Oh trust me, there is a way. That's why I've been feeling so crappy. There's no doubt about it.” Teddy said, her own voice sounding dull and almost robotic. A fact that made Daryl frown again. 

“Ya don't want it.” he stated matter-of-factly, his expression turning to stone.

“You know it's not as simple as that, Daryl. I do want it, I just don't think I can do it.” Teddy said. Daryl closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands for a full minute. It took everything he had not to explode and unleash misguided anger on her. He knew if he went ballistic now, things would get ugly very quickly. She wanted the baby, he kept telling himself. She wanted it, she just didn't know if she could handle it. She needed support and reassurance and not a husband who would let his frustrations and anger out on her. When he felt like he got his emotions under control, he spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words.

“I know you're scared, darlin',... I know you worry,... I understand, but we can deal with that.”

“I already put it in danger, Daryl. I might have a miscarriage, it could suffer from poor development, because of the meds I took. I had alcohol, I had tons of caffeine. This baby is already fucked. I don't want it to suffer from anything, just because I didn't know and wasn't careful.”

“So ya wanna kill it without givin' it a chance first? Ya know that it don't make sense, right? Ya wanna kill our kid, so it don't get taken away from us?” his attempts to stay calm had been in vain. He ended up yelling at her anyway. He got up from the couch and started pacing like a caged tiger while he kept shouting at her. “You think you'd be able ta live with yerself after that? I know you, woman. You couldn't. You said you already wonder how yer son would look like these days? What he'd be interested in? What he'd be like? How do ya think you'd feel about this one? The one you'd kill on purpose? The one you'd never meet? You'd never know if it was a boy or a girl. You'd never know what it looked like. You'd never be able to imagine what it could look like at 5 years old. It would eat ya up alive. It would eat ME up alive. One day I'd come home and find ya dead in a pool of blood 'cause ya cut yer wrists or shit like that. And then? All that would be left for me to do would be to put a fucking bullet in my head, 'cause I can't live a fucking day without ya. That what ya want, Teddy? For the three of us to check out? Cause that's exactly what's gon' happen, if ya get rid of it. And that's if I would even be able to keep livin' with ya. Don't know if I could stand to even look at ya anymore... What? Ya ain't even gonna say anything? Just sit there and be a fucking blubberin' mess? That ain't helpin' anything, woman.” Her tears enraged him even more in that moment. How dare she be the one crying, when she was the one who was entertaining the thought of getting an abortion. All notions of being a supportive husband had gone right out the window. He understood she was scared, he really got that, but how could she even think about something like that? It was okay to say no to not ever trying to get pregnant, but now she was and instead of trying she just wanted to give up? Dixons weren't quitters. That was just a no-go.

“Ya might not want it, but I do.” he went on, his voice now quieter again. “If ya can't deal with another kid in your life, then at least let me have it. I'll raise it on my own. I'll be there for ya all the way through the next couple of months and as soon as ya give birth to it, we'll be out of your life. You know I want this and if ya really love me, you won't take this away from me.”

Teddy wasn't saying anything, just sobbing quietly. Unfortunately her ability to concentrate really wasn't the best due to her condition and she wasn't able to form a coherent thought in her head, she was completely overwhelmed.   
Daryl felt calmer, ranting and letting it all out had been good for him. All the tension of the past month had finally gotten out of his system. He knew that it had been the wrong way to go, though. Time for the second try, he thought and sat back down next to his crying wife. He carefully pulled her into his warm embrace and kissed her forehead, wiping some of her tears away with his thumb.

“Babe, you know I don't believe in this destiny shit, but this baby was s'pposed ta happen, can't you see that? You were on birth control, ya were real careful after last time ya missed one. What were the chances of this happenin'? And like ya said, ya had pain meds, coffee and alcohol and all that shit. All things that are bad for it, but see? It's still here, Teddy. It's strong, it wants ta live.

“The doctor said it had a good, strong heartbeat.” Teddy finally mumbled in a hoarse voice.

“Yeah?” Daryl smiled proudly. “What else she say? Is it okay?”

“Yeah, so far so good. She said it looks to be developing just like it should be. It's taking all my iron and other stuff from my body, so that's why my condition hasn't been so good in the past weeks.” Teddy explained, while she wiped at her tears with her fingers.

“It's making you sick?” Daryl frowned, yet again. “Are you at risk if ya keep it?”

“No. I'll be fine. These are just the normal symptoms that got worse because of the anemia. I got prenatal vitamins and I gotta eat right, that alone should help me feel better. The first three months are over in about two weeks, and most of the time the symptoms disappear by then.”

“The first three months? You're that far along already? We already missed that much?” he was shocked, he'd thought that it had to have started when she had first come home in pain about a month ago.

“Not much to miss, was there?” she chuckled quietly. “I wish I would have missed out on all the symptoms. Hand me my purse, please?” 

Daryl handed her the purse and watched what she got out. He perked up and scooted even closer when he realized that it was an ultrasound picture. “That our baby?”

“Yeah. Head. Arms. Legs.” she pointed out. She looked up to see his expression, and her heart melted when she saw his huge smile and the unshed tears shining in his eyes. He was so happy, how could she even consider taking this from him? But she was SO freaked out and scared.

Daryl couldn't even describe the feeling that was tightening his chest in such a pleasant way. He was almost breathless. It was love, but it was much different from what he felt for Teddy, not any less or any more intense, though. Admittedly, the baby looked like somebody put a turtle with a gigantic head on a glass table and then photographed it from underneath the table, but it was their little turtle. Little turtle Dixon. Their miracle baby.

“Can we frame this?” he asked smilingly. “I wanna put this somewhere, where we can see it all the time. At least for as long as we can't see the baby for real.”

“You are so darn cute, Daryl Dixon.” Teddy was crying again, but this time because her husband's happiness was touching her deeply. “I sure did the right thing marrying you.”

“You want it, too. Don't you?” He looked at her seriously again. “I know you do. I remember. When we cleaned out your closet a couple months back, ya said ya wanted a child with me. That the only thing holding you back is 'cause you're scared. We talked about this a dozen times. I understood that you were too scared ta even try, but we didn't try and it still happened. If that ain't a sign, then I don't know what is.”

“I'm just freaking out so much. I am so damn scared, that I don't know how to deal with it. I can't think straight. I should have known. I should have recognized the signs. I freaking treat pregnant women all the time, with the same symptoms, but where my own problems were concerned, I didn't see the forest for the trees and now I'm scared that I already hurt the little one.”

“Ya didn't. 'specially not on purpose. The doc said it looked fine, right?”

“Yes, but things can change.”

“They can change for everybody, not just you. I mean it, girl. We gotta give the little turtle a chance. It's in there now and we both want it and it survived you popping all those pills and that bottle of champagne we had on New Years. It's resilient. It's a Dixon already. We can do this, darlin'. You ain't really thinkin' about getting rid of it, are ya?”

“No.” Teddy admitted with a deep sigh. “You were right. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that.”

“But that ain't the only reason why you're gon' keep it, is it? You want it too, admit it. It ain't just me.”

“It's not just you. I want it. I do, but I don't know how to work through all this anxiety and fear. That alone could harm the baby.”

“We can work on that. I'm here for ya, you know that. I can talk ta Mike, tell him what's going on, so you can call me whenever ya need me to calm you down or something. You got all those fancy machines around ya all day. Yer daddy can help ya check things out when you're worried. Ya ain't alone.” Daryl was already in planning mode. They were gonna do this, they were having a baby and he would do everything he could to help Teddy get through it okay.

“You sound just like my Dad. He knows. Sorry, I told him before I told you, I was just so beside myself, I couldn't help it. I didn't tell my Mom, though. All I told her is that I'm anemic. We're not gonna tell anyone, okay? I don't want Billy to know for a long time. At least until I really can't hide it anymore.”

“I can't tell Merle?”

“Can Merle keep a secret?”

“This? Not likely, I guess.”

“Then you can't tell him. I'm sorry, I just don't want to have to deal with Billy's rage right now.”

“It's okay. I get it. I'd kill the little punk this time. So no telling Mike?”

“Better not. I'll have to rely on Dad during workdays. Better safe than sorry.”

Daryl nodded in agreement and looked at the ultrasound picture again, a proud grin on his face. “Fucking excited...” he murmured, making Teddy laugh.

“I don't think I've ever heard you say that. I knew when you were excited about things, but to actually hear you say it... It's adorable.”

“It's good ta see ya laugh again.” he smiled affectionately, before he lowered his head to kiss her. “Been way too long. Come here.” he pulled her to him again, pushing his tongue into her mouth and kissing her deeply and passionately.

“How you feelin'?” he breathed between kisses, barely giving her the chance to answer, before he attacked her lips again.

“Still like shit unfortunately. And I'm hungry.” she smiled sheepishly. Daryl sobered up immediately, albeit with a little pang of disappointment. He really missed being with her in the biblical sense, but of course her well-being was more important than his urges.

“Alright. Drink yer tea, I'm gon' get your computer real quick.”

“What for?”

“Need ya to make ma a list. Ya said that iron level thing can be fixed by food?”

“Yeah.”

“Right, I need ya to make me a list of stuff that's good for that. And there's stuff ya ain't allowed ta eat now, ain't there?”

“Yup.”

“Make a list for that, too. We'll print it out and stick it on the fridge, so I know what to make for ya.” he left the room to get her laptop from her office, leaving Teddy behind, who giggled a little. She had the cutest husband in the world. He was so happy and already getting on top of things. If anyone would be able to help her through her problems with this pregnancy, it sure as hell would be him.

“When's it due anyway?” he asked when he handed her the laptop.

“I don't even know yet. I tried to do the math, but my brains a little fucked from the anemia. Good thing I have a calendar on this thing.”

“Can ya tell when it happened?”

“Yeah, let me just check.” she booted her laptop and opened the calendar, going back to the date of her last “real” period. “Okay, that was on the 28th of November, so that was the first day, so hm, hm, hm, you got me pregnant right around that weekend, which would be the weekend you proposed.”

“That ain't right, girl. That wasn't even two months ago, ya said ya were almost three months along.” Daryl frowned, thinking that she had confused her math again.

“Yeah, I know that's confusing, but we don't start counting the weeks on the day of conception. We start counting on the first day of the last period, so the actual getting pregnant part happens in week number three.”

“Well that's stupid.”

“I know, but it's how it works. So let's see about the due date.” She clicked a couple of things and typed the day of her last period into a due date calculator. “And we're looking at September 4th 2015.”

“Shit, that's still a long ways to go.” he sighed.

“Yeah, lots of waiting, but trust me, it'll pass faster than you think.” 

“Let's hope so. Alright, I'll get started on dinner and you get started on the lists.” he got up to get his ass into the kitchen, but before he went he leaned down once more and kissed her hard. “Fuckin' love ya, girl. We can do this. We gon' have our little turtle.”

“Why do you keep calling it turtle?”

“Look at it.” was all he said before he left the room.

“Yeah. Guess you're right.” she smiled, which faltered a little when he walked away. She wished she could be as happy about it as him, but she was still more in panic mode than she was in happy mode. Before she started making the lists for Daryl, she opened her internet browser and looked for a good therapist outside of Jasper, but still in the area. Her father was right, it might be a really good idea to have professional help in the next couple of months up until that critical 8-week-mark, when Milo had passed away.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Daryl had so many questions. So goddamn many questions and his brain kept coming up with new ones by the minute. For a moment he was tempted to grab a notepad and write them all down, so he wouldn't forget asking a single one, but he had other things to do. His wife and his child needed food and he was the resident chef. Which brought him to the most important question right now.

“Can ya still eat steak?” he poked his head back into the living room.

“Yes. It's actually the best way to supply me with iron. Red meat. Just can't make it medium rare for me anymore.”

“Bloody, then?” he grinned that cute little grin of his.

“Very funny.” Teddy rolled her eyes in mock-exasperation.

“Well done it is.” he winked and disappeared back into the kitchen. He was so damn happy, that he felt like whistling a little tune and he actually did while he watched the steaks sizzle in the skillet, lost in thought. 

Teddy had found a therapist not too far, but far enough to not have people talking about her visiting a shrink. She send the contact info to her phone so she could make an appointment in the morning. She took the laptop back to her office, so she could print out the pregnancy food list for Daryl. No need to search for it, she had to pass out several of these at work every now and then, so she had a file on her computer. There wasn't much of a list to make for the iron deficiency either. Red meat was the best source for iron and he already knew that. She typed whole grain cereal and the names of a few veggies into a new word document and added, that she would have to consume these together with something that contained vitamin C, like fruit or juice, so her body would be able to absorb the iron better or her eating that stuff she didn't necessarily like would be pretty useless. No more coffee for her either. Usually one cup a day would be fine, but unfortunately, with the anemia, she'd have to say no completely, because coffee tended to flush the iron out of the body pretty fast. It would be one hell of a long week without coffee and she was really NOT looking forward to it. The only way she had survived the last week was, because she had a ton of coffee to keep her awake during the day.

She printed everything out and walked to the kitchen, stopping for a moment in the doorway to the living room, when the apartment started spinning again. A couple of deep breaths later, she arrived at her destination and pinned the lists to the fridge with magnets.

“There you go. Have fun planning meals.” Teddy yawned and plopped down on her chair at the kitchen table. Daryl took a step towards the fridge, keeping one eye on the meat and one eye on the lists.

“Holy crap, that's all the stuff ya CAN'T eat???” he was baffled, because there were several pages, separated into three different categories: pantry, fridge and freezer.

“No, no, no, that's the stuff that's good for me during pregnancy. It's kind of a shopping list. That one is the bad foods one.” She pointed to the list she had hung on the far right.

“Awww hell, girl. I'm sorry. That's a lot of the stuff ya usually eat.” his previous euphoria got a little damper, when he saw that she would have to make some major changes. HE would have to make a lot of changes. He'd already looked forward to cooking for her and making her fat, so they'd have a healthy, chubby baby. “No salami? That's gon' be though on ya. No ham? Really? No smoked salmon, no bologna, no turkey. No more blue cheese? Fuck. What chu gon' eat? That's all ya ever used on yer sandwiches.”

“That's what the shopping list is for. That should help you along and if you have questions and/or are unsure about anything, just ask.”

“No chance of you comin' with me on that shopping trip, huh?”

“Hell no, baby. Not this week for sure. You're on your own on that one. But you can take my phone until we get you a new one and I'll keep the one from work until then and you can call if you need to know something.” she smiled tiredly and supported her head with her hand, while she watched him put their meal on plates. He brought them over to the table, but before he sat down, he snatched the so-called shopping list off the fridge and placed the pages next to his plate, reading through it while he ate.

“According to this we have to throw out pretty much everything we have and replace it with whole grain stuff and tons of fruit, veggies and low- or non-fat dairy.” he looked up at her, doubt clearly evident in his expression. “That's gonna cost a pretty penny. If I go out and buy all that stuff, are ya sure you're gonna eat it?”

“Yup. Did it the last time. If it's for the well-being of the baby I can do it. I WILL do it. I really stuck to a pregnancy-friendly diet, because it allowed me to indulge my cravings every now and then without too much guilt.”

“Alright, guess I'm going shopping tomorrow. What are we gonna do with all the stuff we already have? Throw it in the trash?”

“No, the things we haven't opened or used yet, we can donate to the Jasper Food Pantry, and the stuff that you already opened and used, we can throw out, give it to my parents or you keep it to make something “normal” for yourself.” Teddy explained, while she hungrily wolfed down her steak. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and she sure felt it now.

“Okay. Damn, this shit right here makes me realize that you're eatin' real shitty for a doctor.” he chuckled.

“Yeah, I know. Never said I was a role model. I like my bacon and mayo way too much. Thank God that's still an option.”

“Yeah.” he mumbled absently, while he kept reading. The list was pretty comprehensive with lots of examples for everything. “You make this list?”

“No. It's from the internet, but I modified it a little bit, so it would be easier to understand. If you just write 'boost your vitamin A intake' pretty much nobody knows what to eat for that. So to spare mothers the research, I did it for them and wrote it down.”

“To spare ME the research, too. Thank fucking God.”

“Like I said, if you're unsure, just call or text.”

“Good thing I have my truck. Gonna need it tomorrow. Shit, that reminds me. I'm gonna have to get rid of that thing eventually. Get something safer... Have ya thought about what room the kid should sleep in? You wanna clear out the office and turn it into a nursery or should we move our bedroom into the office and give the kid the bigger room?”

“Baby, I found out about 6 hours ago that we were going to have a child. No, I have not yet thought about which room it's going to get. And there is also still time for that. For the first year of its life, it's gonna sleep in our room anyway. Not making that mistake again...” she got quiet and shuddered visibly. She put her fork and knife down and grabbed the mug with fresh, hot tea Daryl had poured for her. 

“Would it have made a difference?” Daryl asked carefully. Not because he wanted to convince her that the baby shouldn't sleep in their bedroom, but because he was genuinely curious.

“I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. I just kept thinking, that maybe I would have woken up sooner, maybe his breath hitched or something and the baby monitor didn't pick up on it... I just don't know.” she shrugged and nipped on her tea. Daryl just nodded lightly in acknowledgment. His gaze dropped to the top of the table, while he lost himself in his thoughts again. All this time he'd told Teddy that if they'd have a baby, it sure would be fine. That she couldn't live in fear of something happening. What a hypocrite he had been. The baby wasn't even here and now the thought of something happening to their little turtle literally made his heart stop beating for a moment and robbed him of his breath. She was right, it was scary as fuck. For the first time he had the slightest inkling of what she must have been through when she found her baby in his crib, no longer breathing.

Daryl put his own silverware on the table and rubbed his hands over his face, while expelling a shaky breath. “Shit, why am I panicking?” he muttered nervously. “Nothing's gon' happen... right?”

Teddy looked up at him with a sad, but sympathetic smile. She knew all too well how he was feeling. “Maybe you should come to therapy with me.”

“Therapy?”

“Daddy suggested it and I think it's a good idea to have professional help during pregnancy and the first couple of months of his or her life.”

“Sounds like a good idea. For you. I ain't goin' to see no shrink. I can deal with my own shit.”

“Fine.” she yawned again and shivered when another flood of cold rushed through her body.

“Ya wanna go to bed, huh?”

“It's been a long day. And a long night with the trip to the farm and everything.”

“Thought we could talk some more. I got questions.”

“I know, baby. I'm sorry but I really need to lay down and try to get some sleep. I know you have a ton of questions and I will answer them all, but not right now. “

“Okay, go ahead. I'll clean this up and join ya in a couple of minutes.” he got up and leaned over the table to kiss her forehead lovingly. He wished he could do more, like worshiping her body for hours. The thought made an idea pop into his head. “Teddy? Can I ask a favor?”

“Sure. What is it?” She was curious, because she noticed a light blush creeping into his cheeks.

“I ain't expecting nothing,... Jus' wanna, uhm... Can ya sleep naked? I know ya get cold, but I could warm ya up,... I kinda wanna be close... okay?” he stammered his way through the sentence. He didn't want her to think he wanted to take advantage, when all he wanted was just to feel her skin-on-skin and be close to her. He knew she might say no, because he'd implied twice in the past 24 hours that he'd like to be intimate again and she might fear he'd try something again.

“Yeah. We can do that. I'd like that.” she smiled and walked back to where he stood next to the table. She kissed him sweetly and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I miss you, too, you know? I do. My desire for you is still there full-force, it's just that my body is so damn tired. I don't know how to explain it. I want you. You have no idea how much, but I literally can't have sex with you. I might not be able to get out of bed for two days, because my body will need that time to recover. Well, probably not, but it's how it feels like...”

“I get it. It's hard 'cause I wanna celebrate the fuck out of this, but I understand. Would never force ya to do nothing, ya know that right?” his concerned gaze bore right into hers and he was relieved when she nodded.

“Of course I know that. Trust me, we will make up for what we are missing out on right now. If this pregnancy is anything like my last, then there will come a time, where you will beg me to let you sleep for a night, so you can recharge your batteries.” Teddy promised with a little grin, that mirrored the one that was forming on his lips now.

“Me begging ya to stop? Ain't never gonna happen, girl.”

“And you'll get bigger boobies bonus on top of that.” Teddy sweetened it even more for him. “All you gotta do is to be patient for two or three more weeks and then, if everything goes according to plan, it's all bet's are off for the rest of the pregnancy, IF you aren't totally repulsed by my pregnancy body by then.”

“I saw ya pregnant in that picture. Nothin' bout that was repulsive.” he chuckled. “And you're carryin' our baby, woman. Ain't never gon' be nothing repulsive bout that. Imma fuck the living daylights outta you, until YOU beg me to give ya a night off.” he growled in that delicious raspy voice of his.

“Well, you solved the problem of me being cold.” Teddy quipped and let go of him with a big smile. “I better get ready for bed. I'll see you in there.” Daryl placed another kiss on her lips before he let her go. He had a little smile on his face while he cleared the table. He felt so much lighter than he'd had in weeks. Things were gonna be okay and his woman was still into him. Yes, he had been a little worried about that, as silly as it sounded. He was used to her being very affectionate and cuddly, and when she had kept her distance it had made him wonder a bit.

When he entered the bedroom he saw her clothes on the floor next to her side of the bed and of course, Teddy was already dead to the world, with Snoopy curled up in the crook of her neck. Daryl bend down and grabbed her clothes and put them in the hamper, so she wouldn't stumble over them and fall if she had to get up in the middle of the night. He stopped by Roxie's bed in the corner of the living room and lavished some attention on her, before he walked up to his side of the bed and shed his own clothes. 

He laid on his side and scooted close to her, a pleasant shiver going through him, when he felt her bare skin touching his own naked form. He gently kissed her shoulder, nuzzling there for a moment, while his right hand moved to her belly. He slid it a little further down her abdomen and stopped to rub his palm over that spot between her hipbones. He didn't know if he was imagining things through wishful thinking, but it felt a bit bloated to him. His chest swelled with pride and love alike, when he visualized their little turtle being in there, right underneath his hand. If he or she was able to feel his hand being there yet? Was it able to hear his voice yet? So many questions and no answers, he hoped he'd be able to sleep with all the excitement going on.

He slung his leg over hers and pressed himself against her even more, to keep her warm and to finally feel her like this again. His hand remained firmly planted on the spot where he assumed his little turtle to be resting. Could never be too soon to make a connection right?

####### ###### ####### ###### ####### ####### #######

He had drifted off into sleep faster than he'd thought. That way he got at least a solid six hours of sleep, before the bathroom door opening and closing woke him up.

“You okay, darlin'?” he murmured tiredly, while he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Headache again.” Teddy grumbled slightly as she got back in bed. She had gotten herself a wet washcloth for her forehead, hoping it would ease the throbbing in her forehead at least a little bit.

“Can't take anything for that anymore?”

“I could, but I wanna steer clear from taking even more meds for now. I already put that child through enough.”

“Jus' try to relax, babe. Did ya drink some tea?”

“Yep. Let's just hope that there won't be too many of these nights.” Teddy sighed. A shiver ran through her, when she felt Daryl's warm hand gently rubbing her belly.

“It's gonna be fine soon. I'll make sure of it. I'll get ya the good stuff to eat today. We'll have ya back to old form in no time.” he smiled and placed little kisses against her shoulder between sentences. 

“That feels nice,...” she murmured, referring to his kisses and the hand that was caressing the skin of her belly.

“It's bigger, ain't it?”

“You saying that I'm fat?” Even with the headache, she couldn't let the opportunity of teasing him a little pass her by. Unfortunately he didn't bite.

“Nah, not yet. But Imma make ya fat. Gon' have the little turtle in there chubby and healthy.” he grinned, but he was totally serious.

“Okay, two things... One: you better hope that your turtle isn't chubby when it comes out, for my sake. Two: it better be a human and not a turtle.”

“Funny.” he rolled his eyes. “Ya still didn't answer. It's bigger, right?”

“Yeah, it's a bit bloated. Didn't think much of it. Thought it was from my period and just took longer to go away this time. So stupid.” she sighed, still unable to believe that she hadn't noticed that she was pregnant at all.

“Wait... ya were bleedin'. That ain't good, is it?”

“It was just spotting and that's actually pretty common. And the doc said that everything looks good, so it's probably nothing to worry about. Just gotta watch out if it happens more often. Might have been the stress, too. It'll be fine.”

“Yeah well, no more stress for you from now on.” he murmured and tugged on her arm so she would roll on her side, to face him. He took the washcloth from her forehead and gently pressed it against her neck. “Ya liked it here better, last night.”

“I didn't want to get the pillow wet. Forgot a towel.” She sighed, when she felt the damp and cold goodness ease the tension a bit. She opened her eyes and looked at him in the light of the full moon that was streaming through their bedroom window. He looked gorgeous. Even at four in the morning with rumpled hair and sleepy eyes, he was still the most stunning being on earth to her. Her fingertips trailed over his chest, playing with the soft patch of hair between his nipples, before they trailed lower, tickling over his belly, which he sucked in reflexively. “Are you gonna get fat with me?” she smirked and let her eyes travel back to look into his.

“I'll try not to.”

“Why not? All the dads gain some weight along with the moms.”

“Nah, I feel good the way I am no. No reason to change that. Besides, gotta stay pretty for ya.” he winked and dropped a peck on the tip of her nose.

“You'll always be pretty to me. Billy showed me the picture from the time he started working with you.”

“Shit, girl... he did? When the hell was that?”

“Found it when we packed his stuff into boxes. You little beer gut was so cute.”

“Was nothin' cute about that, woman. I had tits. Probably bigger ones than yours.”

“Oh come on, it wasn't nearly that bad. You were just a LITTLE bit heavier.”

“Yeah, too much beer and fast food. Was before I started cooking for myself.”

“Anyway, my point is, I was ready to jump into the picture and hump your leg, so don't you worry about gaining weight. You do know that I don't love you for your body, right?”

“Lemme throw that question right back at cha. Let's say ya gain... 40 pounds in the next couple a months, and ya have a hard time getting it back off. I won't care, I'll fuck ya into the ground no matter what, but will ya believe me that I don't care? Will ya feel comfortable in yer own skin and attractive enough for me or shit like that? Cause yer already blushing right now, when I look at ya naked sometimes.”

“Yeah okay, you might have a point there. Okay, I won't bother you about getting fat with me. You win.”

“Good.” he kissed her gently and turned the washcloth over, but Teddy took hold of his arm and pulled his hand away.

“I feel better. Don't think I need it anymore right now.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah.” she smiled and watched him get up and take the washcloth to the bathroom in all his naked glory. Boy, he really did look good. No wonder he wanted to stay the way he was. His body was freaking magic. Just the right amount of perfectly toned muscles.

“What are you grinning at?” he asked when he slid back under the covers and pulled her against his chest.

“Just realizing once more what a lucky bitch I am.”

“Yeah?” he smirked and let his hand trail down her back, cupping one of her buttocks and squeezing with a deep sigh.

“Yeah. You're amazing. I don't tell you nearly enough.”

“Ya show me. That's enough.” he reassured her and nuzzled his nose against hers, his lips ghosting over hers. Teddy closed the distance and pressed her lips fully against his, her fingers gently scratched the back of his neck, making him groan and bite down on her bottom lip. Her hand slid over his neck and down to his shoulder, tracing its broadness and gently kneading the skin, as her tongue sought entrance into his mouth. Daryl gladly obliged and parted his lips for her, grabbing her ass harder when she teased his tongue expertly with her own. 

Teddy lost herself in the kiss, not fully realizing what her hand was doing, so she startled, when she heard a whine and felt him jerk, just a second before his hand clamped down on her wrist.

“Don't... Holy fuck, don't. That's plain evil, darlin'.” he groaned and flopped down onto his back, his wrist resting against his forehead after releasing her hand. She had scratched a fingernail over his nipple, which in turn had his balls vibrating and his dick starting to grow, eager to be done with this forced break.

“I'm sorry. I didn't even realize...”

“It's okay. You should try to go back to sleep. Only little over an hour left.” he rasped under his breath and closed his eyes, willing his body to stop humming with unfulfilled desire.

“Okay.” she agreed and gently kissed his shoulder, before she turned her back on him and tried to sleep some more.

Daryl tried to sleep more as well, but his body was craving release. His dick was throbbing painfully and he swore he was close to getting blue balls. He'd have to take care of it himself, probably should have done it before, but he rarely ever masturbated anymore. Teddy was always happy and eager to take care of his needs, and also, his own hand was a poor substitute for her skilled little fingers. But now it looked like his wife would be out of commission for a bit longer and he'd be on his own in that department. He looked over at Teddy, wondering if it would be inappropriate for him doing this right next to her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it in the shower. She'd wake up and also, he wanted to see her and feel her skin under his fingertips while he got himself off. He slid his right hand underneath the covers, let it glide down over his belly, through his pubes, until his fingertips met the base of his cock. He grasped himself firmly, pumping his fist up and down once, a low groan of satisfaction rumbling deep in his throat.

Teddy's eyes snapped open at the sound. She narrowed them in concentration as she listened more closely. She soon recognized the telltale rhythmic rustling of the covers and his labored breathing. She wasn't stupid, she knew what he was doing, and it was freaking hot. She had never seen him pleasuring himself, but it was something she had been fantasizing about. She just needed to turn around and her fantasy would come true. But how would he react? She wasn't sure.

Oh fuck it, she thought and turned around on her other side, making Daryl freeze and look at her nervously.

“Don't stop. Keep going. I know you need this.” she smiled and kissed his muscled upper arm, while her hand sneaked back to his chest, letting her thumb circle his hard nipple. Daryl wanted to watch her do it, but his eyelids fluttered shut, when she made sharp bolts of pleasure shoot right to his center. Heat was spreading throughout his balls, sending drops of precum up his shaft, to leak out of his little slit. He groaned, when he used his thumb to spread it around the tip, giving himself some nice friction.

“Can I see?” Teddy asked quietly. When he nodded his consent, she moved the covers away. The sight of his strong hand moving up and down his own length and his own thumb caressing his tip, was even hotter than she had imagined. The only light they had was the moonlight, but since it was a full moon, it was very bright and it shone directly onto the parts she wanted to see. She was able to recognize that the head looked very dark, like every time when they hadn't done it in a while and he was reaching his boiling point of not being able to go much longer without release. It had to be close to being painful. She felt bad for having teased him, albeit not on purpose.

“You're so goddamn gorgeous, baby.” she breathed into his ear, doing what she could to help him along. “Feels good, doesn't it? Soon *I* will be back to showing you how good your dick can feel.”

“Gon' suck it for me?”

“Oh yes, but first I'm gonna have my tongue lick it up and down real slow, from your balls all the way up to your tip and back, tasting ever single glorious inch of it. Maybe I'll tease you real good and I'll make myself cum first by rubbing my little pussy on your hard cock, making us both all wet.” 

“God... damn... fuck yes... Gonna ride me like a good little slut? Gon' use ma dick to get yerself off, dirty girl?” he bit out between clenched teeth, while he gripped himself harder and increased the speed.

“Touch your balls, baby. Tug them for me,... the way I would do it.” Oh this was fun. Her body wasn't up for sex yet, but her brain was and she loved this. Maybe they should do this more often while she wasn't feeling well. She watched his other hand slide between his legs and cup his sac. “Yeah, nice and careful, honey, just a little bit. Shit that's hot. Gonna suck those, too. You love when I do that, don't you?”

“Yeah. 's fucking amazing.” he groaned out, when he tugged at his scrotum again, imagining it was her small, soft hand doing it for him. 

“I can see that. All those little drops gliding down your tip... I love lapping those up. You taste so good, baby. I love having you in my mouth. Can't wait to have you in there again. Next time I'm gonna try taking you in all the way, have you cum down my throat. I'll work your magic spot then, too,... Gonna make you cum so hard, baby.” she murmured into his hear with a sultry voice, pulling all the right strings inside of him.

“Jesus fuck, woman... Oh hell yes...” he groaned and bucked up into his hand when she rolled his nipple and pinched it a little between two fingers. 

“Ready to cum yet, baby?”

“Almost there...” his breath became more labored as his hand picked up some more speed. Teddy quickly moved her hand from his chest down between his legs, pushing two fingers firmly into the spot just underneath his balls. Daryl released a hoarse shout right before his head pressed back into the pillow and held his breath. He always held his breath when he came hard. Teddy smiled and bit her lip while she watched him cum over his own hand and his belly. He was magnificent and he was all hers. 

“Breathe.” she whispered and rolled over to open the drawer on her nightstand, getting out a pack of wet wipes. When Daryl's hands dropped on the bed and he laid there motionless and panting, she gently cleaned him up before she pulled the covers up over both of them again and nuzzled his shoulder. “Feel better now?”

“Yeah.” he nodded, then turned his head to look at her. “I'm sorry...”

“No, no, no, don't be sorry. A guy's got needs, just like me when I use my vibrator.”

“Yeah, but ya never did it right next ta me.”

“I loved it. Don't worry about a thing. It was kind of a little fantasy of mine to watch you do that.” she admitted with a little embarrassed giggle.

“It was?” Daryl's interest was piqued and his own embarrassment was immediately forgotten. “You never told me that before!”

“We never really talked about fantasies, now did we?” she shrugged and looked down to where her fingers were toying with his chest hair.

“Ya weren't afraid ta tell me, were ya?” he grinned slightly and moved his arm around her, using his fingers to pull some hair away from her face, that had been hiding her crimson cheeks.

“You just go ahead and tease me, but it's not like you come right out and tell me everything that's going on in your head where that stuff is concerned.” she was a little bit defensive out of insecurity and Daryl had to admit that she had a point.

“True. Sorry.” he pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. They were silently laying there, while it slowly got light out, signaling that it would soon be time to get up and get ready for work. Daryl soon cleared his throat and Teddy noticed that he tried to say something a couple of times, always opening his mouth, starting to say something and then hesitating and quickly stopping himself before the first word made it out of his mouth. She was tempted to urge him to just spit it out, but she let him be and do it in his own time.

“Maybe...” he cleared his throat again. He was clearly nervous about what he was about to say. To say that she was curious would be an understatement, even though she already had an idea of what he wanted to say. “Maybe, uummm,... we should... we could try... some new things... next couple a months... before the baby comes...”

“Sure we can. What would you like to try?” Daryl didn't answer, at least not verbally. Instead he let one of his hands slide down her back until it settled on her butt, gently squeezing the firm curve of her butt cheek.

'Bingo!' Teddy thought, keeping herself from laughing. Her assumption about what he wanted to try had been correct.

“You wanna try anal?” she asked outright, making her husband blush a little. This time it was him who shrugged his shoulders and looked anywhere but into her eyes.

“I don't know if we can... I mean, I don't know if it would hurt the little turtle...”

“It wouldn't. You ever done it before? I mean to a girl? I know you never had anyone do it to you, I remember your very strong opinion on that matter.” Teddy giggled quietly and jumped when Daryl slapped his hand down on her ass lightly.

“Hey, no makin' fun, remember? I did it once. Barely got inside before I finished. Fucking tight and hot... wanted ta do it again ever since.”

“Wasn't that poor girl in a ton of pain? You're not exactly small.”

“Just a little, at first. Was real careful. Never wanted to hurt nobody. What about you? You do it before?”

“I have.” Teddy replied truthfully and almost laughed out loud at Daryl's surprised expression.

“Ya have?”

“Yeah, not with a guy, though.”

“With another woman?” he frowned in confusion.

“No,... You know I had trouble giving myself an orgasm, right? So... I tried a lot of things in order to find out what might help with that.”

“Holy fuck... ya did it to yourself?” Daryl felt his dick throbbing once again as very graphic images started playing out in front of his inner eye. He felt like he was about to combust spontaneously. “How? Did ya use something? Did ya like it?” 

“I liked it, but the vibrator I used wasn't nearly as big as your dick.” Teddy explained, making Daryl's hope deflate a little.

“Oh,... right...” he sighed, clearly disappointed, but trying not to let it on. Teddy wasn't able to hold back her laugh this time. She kissed his cheek several times and slung her arm over his chest to hug him.

“Relax. We can try, baby. I trust you.”

“Really? You sure?” His whole face lit up, making Teddy laugh even more. She had missed this, she felt almost normal again in that moment.

“Positive.” she smiled and kissed him gently. When she pulled away she reached or her phone to check the time, and sighed deeply. “Time to get up. Oh the horror. Of course now I'm suddenly tired enough to go back to sleep within 5 seconds.”

“You gonna be alright?” Daryl asked genuinely concerned, wondering if she shouldn't just take the next two weeks off and rest until she felt better.

“Of course. I gotta be. Work distracts me and I can't leave Daddy alone all the time. He's not getting any younger. I know he was planning on retiring next year, but now he might reconsider.” 

“Yeah...” Daryl trailed off, realizing that they really had an ass-load of stuff to talk about. For example how it's supposed to work with a newborn and both of them working full-time.

###### ####### ###### ####### ###### #######

After work Daryl had taken his truck to the local Wal Mart and loaded the whole truck bed full of groceries. They would be able to feed an army with all that stuff, he knew that, but he wanted to be prepared for everything.

He was beat when he had finally gotten everything home and put away in the cabinets, the fridge and the freezer. From now on he'd not only make sure she had two good meals a day, but that she also had a good lunch and healthy snacks at work. If he would have to get up an hour earlier to get it all done, he'd gladly do it. She was doing all the grunt work in the next couple of months, the least he could do was try to keep her healthy and well-fed. So what if he would be more tired than usual? He knew it would be nothing compared to what she would be going through and already was going through right now. 

“Can we cancel on family dinner?” he asked Teddy, right after she had greeted him when she came home from work.

“Yes please. I just want food and sleep. If it were possible, I'd make you feed me WHILE I sleep.” she plopped down on the chair and rested her forehead on the table. Daryl got the phone and gently kissed the top of her head while he put the phone on the table in front of her. 

“Make the call, I'll make us something quick.” he mumbled and started rummaging through the cabinets. But before Teddy was even able to lift her head, there was a knock on the front door.

“Guess they heard us and have come to drag our asses to the table.” Teddy grumbled pessimistically.

“Stay here.” Daryl went to open the door, a frown marring his face, when he was met by the faces of Billy and Maggie. “Hey... not a good time, man.”

“Not here to fight, I swear. We wanna show you something.” Billy quickly explained, before Daryl would be able to slam the door in their faces.

“Not a good time.” Daryl repeated, although he felt bad to be rude to Maggie. She looked ready to pop and if she was still able to smile and be polite, so should he.

“We think you guys might really like it. Please? It won't take too long.” Maggie promised. Daryl chewed on his lip while he thought about letting them in, and finally he opened the door wider. 

“Fine. Get in here.”

“Actually we gotta take you somewhere. Not far.” Billy said and noticed Teddy walking towards the bedroom behind Daryl.

“If we're going somewhere, I'm going to change.” Teddy mumbled, having listened to the exchange.

“Let your hair down.” Maggie called after her, making both Dixon's look at her in confusion. “Just trust me and do it.” Maggie laughed and pushed past Daryl to follow Teddy into the bedroom. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Daryl questioned Billy impatiently.

“Relax. It's nothing bad, I promise.”

Teddy and Maggie soon came out of the bedroom, where Teddy had changed into jeans, a gray hoodie and her knee-high, black Dr Martens boots. Billy and Maggie started walking towards the exit of the building, while Teddy stayed close to Daryl, who locked the door.

“I think you were right.” Maggie whispered into her husbands ear with a smile, making sure that nobody else would hear her. 

“I told you. Twin-tuition is a thing.” Billy grinned triumphantly.

###### ###### ####### ###### ###### ######## ###### #####

“Remember this place, Teddy?” Billy asked, while they made their way through the trees, after having parked their car at the very end of a cul-de-sac on Piney Ridge Road.

“Can't say that I do.” Teddy frowned, still not seeing why Billy and Maggie were taking them here.

“I do. Used ta hang out here with the guys all the fucking time.” Daryl said, when the little dock and pond came into view.

“You up for a little experiment?” Billy asked smilingly and reached into his pants pocket.

“Well, you dragged us out here, so why the hell not.” Teddy sighed in defeat. She just wanted to sleep, although she had to admit that the fresh air felt good.

“Alright. Daryl you go ahead to the dock and light yourself a cigarette. Teddy, you stay right here.” Billy ordered, while he produced his digital camera. He took a couple of steps backwards, away from Teddy and got the camera ready. “Stay right there, Daryl. That's perfect. Now take a drag and look towards Teddy.”

“The fuck is this? Some kind of weird photo shoot?” Daryl muttered, but still did as he was told. Billy took a couple of pictures before he yelled for Daryl to come back. Still cursing, Daryl threw the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it to put it out, then he walked back and grabbed Teddy's hand. “Now care to explain what the fuck you did that for?”

“You'll see. Let's get back. Your printer prints photos, right?” Billy asked Teddy while they started walking back towards the car.

“Yeah it does. Wait, that's it?”

“For now. You'll see. Patience, sis.” Billy winked. 

They drove back to Daryl's and Teddy's apartment and vanished into Teddy's office.

“I feel like we're in an episode of Twilight Zone.” Teddy yawned. “They're acting weird.”

“Yeah, they are. Don't fucking like it.” Daryl agreed, while he prepared some grilled cheese sandwiches. Healthy and nutritious would have to wait 'til morning. They were both hungry and tired, so this would have to do. At least he was using whole wheat bread. That had to count for something.

About fifteen minutes later Billy and Maggie entered the kitchen. Billy was holding a picture frame the size of a sheet of paper, the back facing towards Teddy and Daryl, so they wouldn't see the picture yet. 

“Nothing about the little trip we took rang a bell for either of you?” Billy asked and seemed almost giddy, when they both shook their heads. “Maybe this will jog your memory.” he said and put the picture frame on the table in front of Teddy. Daryl looked over Teddy's shoulder and both their eyes widened at what they were seeing.

“What in the world...?” Teddy was speechless. The picture frame contained black carton that served as the background and glued to that background were two pictures. They were almost identical. The only difference was the years in which the pics were taken and the way the two people in the pictures looked. 1999 was neatly written in silver ink above the first picture, 2015 above the second picture.

“Turns out, you guys have actually seen each other before you moved to Jasper last year... 16 years ago. You really don't remember? We were 14 and this was the first time you ever came to visit us here. We hadn't seen each other for a whole year. You asked me to take you somewhere where we could just hang out and have a smoke without somebody ratting us out. I knew that a lot of kids hung out by the pond off of Piney Ridge Road and I took you there. That group of older guys was hanging out on the dock and we sat on this bench close to the treeline. It's not there anymore, but back then it was. My lighter didn't work and I wanted to go back into town to get a new one, but you walked up to that group of guys with our smokes and asked them for a light. One of those guys was Daryl. Back then I was always playing around with these disposable cameras, remember? I took them everywhere and when you came walking back from them, I took that pic.” Billy explained, while Teddy and Daryl still stared at the pictures.

“We were putting the finishing touches on the nursery last week and when we went through some boxes Billy had brought when he had moved in, there were still a lot of these films he hadn't had developed yet. I took to have them developed and last night we were going through the pictures and imagine our surprise, when we stumbled across this. We couldn't believe our eyes.” Maggie smiled and took a deep breath so she wouldn't start crying, when she noticed Teddy tearing up.

“I remember now...” she mumbled. “Sadly I don't really remember seeing you, baby, but I remember that day. Look at you. So freaking gorgeous back then already.” 

“Shit, look how young I was.” Daryl smiled. “And you... you were still a baby. You looked so different. No wonder I didn't recognize you.”

“Yeah, I hadn't lost my baby fat yet. My face looked like a chipmunk's.” Teddy laughed and cried at the same time. “But you... Jesus...” Teddy couldn't stop feasting her eyes on 20-year old Daryl. He was wearing camouflage pants and a black wife beater, showing that he'd always had a nice pair of arms and shoulders on him, although he had seriously bulked up over the years. His hair was a lot shorter than it was now and a lot lighter, too. He didn't have an explanation for it. His beard was lighter and his body hair was lighter, but the hair on his head got darker in the past couple of years. He swore on everything he had that he had never dyed his hair.

“Can't fucking believe it...” Daryl muttered, while his eyes flicked back and forth between the pictures.

“Not that we believe in destiny or shit like that...” Teddy started with a grin, before Daryl cut her off.

“Yeah... Know what ya mean, girl...” Not that they believed in destiny or shit like that, but sometimes it really seemed like they were supposed to happen and that it was not just in their heads.

Billy and Maggie shared a look, silently communicating until Maggie gave him a nod and he cleared his throat.

“Well, consider it our gift to congratulate you on the baby news you have yet to share with us.”

That made both their heads snap up in shock, and Teddy's heart sank.

“Dad told you...”

“No. Nobody told us.” Billy explained with a smile. “I knew. I knew the day you announced your engagement.”

“That ain't possible, boy. WE didn't even know until yesterday.” Daryl was confused as fuck and he didn't like it. 

“Think what you want, but I knew. I guess that's why I flipped out. I'm a jealous bastard, I know that and I know I was wrong. Teddy, you are my sister and I love you more than my own life. I don't think all those things about you, I really don't. I know that you think those things about yourself, though, and I know if I wanna hurt you, I just have to go there. And I did. Numerous times, until I made you believe that I truly think that about you. I can't explain how I knew. I think it was 'twin-tuition', all of a sudden it was in my head and I just knew. And I was fucking scared and worried for you. It all seemed pretty fast and I was scared as hell of what a pregnancy would do to you after Milo. Just ask Maggie, I was worried about you dating Daryl, because I was scared of you getting hurt. Losing Milo hurt you so much, that I was scared that losing someone else would kill you. So when I knew you were pregnant, my head just about exploded and I lashed out, because the thought that I might lose you made me fucking afraid, you know? On top of everything else that was going on with our own baby and making the transition to the farm... it was a bad time for me and I'm sorry for letting it all out on you.”

“Why didn't you say anything? I took all those meds, if you had just said something...”

“I don't know. I was still in a weird place, after we just weren't able to reconcile, and I doubted it after a while. When I heard you had that cyst and when I saw Daryl freak out and I heard on the phone that you were scared, I thought that I was mistaken. I thought the doc would have noticed if you truly had been pregnant, I thought they had taken urine samples or something... I should have asked.... I'm sorry. Yesterday I was still worried that you might be seriously sick, so I called the parental unit and Dad was so weird and cagey and said it was just anemia, I didn't really buy it. But he sounded happy and not like you were dying, which was weird. So I did some research and I talked to Maggie and remembered how she felt when she was in her first trimester, so pretty soon I was back to being sure that you were pregnant after all. When I saw you earlier, I was extremely sure. You look different.”

“Bit bloat-y.” Maggie added with a wink.

“Geez, thanks.” Teddy laughed. “Shit,... you really knew, huh?”

“I sure did. Were you planning on telling me?”

“Not really. Not until I wouldn't have been able to hide it anymore.” Teddy replied truthfully, making Billy smile bitterly.

“I get it. I was a gigantic asshole. I wouldn't have told me, either. Out of curiosity, please tell me. Are you at 11 weeks?”

“Shit. Yeah... How...? God...” Teddy shook her head in disbelief. “I really can't believe it.”

“Guess my math was right.” Billy grinned. He then crouched down next to Teddy's chair and pulled his sister into a long overdue bear hug. “Congratulations. I'm really happy for you. But I'm worried, too. Are you gonna be alright?”

“I think so. Dad suggested a therapist for the pregnancy. I already made an appointment for the week after next and Daryl and Dad are also great at giving me strength and support. It might be a rocky ride sometimes, but I think overall it will be okay.”

“You can call me, too. Anytime you wanna talk, alright? I'm here for you, just like last time.”

“Oh honey, your own child will arrive in about a month. Trust me, you'll have your hands full with your own problems.” Teddy laughed and kissed her brother's cheek. “It's nice of you to offer, though.”

“Anytime. Guess we'll be calling you more than you'll be calling us.” Billy smiled and got back up to sit down on his own chair.

“That might be the case.” Teddy smiled and looked back at the picture frame, still not quite able to believe her eyes.

“Although we'll try not to bother you too much, now that you will need your rest as well. Good thing Hershel knows a lot about babies, too. He was always around and hands-on when Maggie, Beth and Shawn were little.”

“That's good. Those old tricks and remedies the grandparents know, often work wonders.” Teddy mumbled absently. 

“Well, we canceled on our parents for all of us. We told them we had plans with you guys. You wanna stick to the grilled cheese or can we buy you guys something else?”

“We're beat.” Daryl stated simply.

“Grilled cheese for us. We just wanna eat and sleep. We didn't get too much sleep last night, but thank you for offering guys.” Teddy elaborated and was frankly a little relieved, when Billy and Maggie got up to leave. It meant bedtime was nearing.

“You're welcome. Don't be a stranger, okay? Let's talk soon.” Billy hugged Teddy once more. “I really am sorry. You're not just a pretty face. I didn't mean it.”

“I believe you. Forgiven and forgotten.” Teddy assured him.

The Robertsons left and the Dixons ate their sandwiches, while they still marveled at the pictures and that weird coincidence. Daryl took Roxy for a quick walk after, before he collapsed into bed, joining his wife, who was already fast asleep. And for the first time in weeks, it was a good night full of peaceful sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little heads up: We are nearing the end of "Jasper", but I will do a sequel, so there will be more of Teddy, Daryl and the rest of the gang in the future. Thank you for reading! Oh, that doesn't mean that this is the last chapter, there are still a couple more to come:-)

Chapter 31

“Good Lord...,” Daryl's eyebrows rose higher with every trip he made out to the car, only to bring more shopping bags into his and Teddy's apartment. “Are ya sure that ya got enough?” he asked his wife, who had plopped down on the sofa unceremoniously, with not just a hint of sarcasm tinging his voice.

Teddy chose to ignore her husband's dismay at the copious amounts of shopping bags, which surrounded her now, and just shrugged while she sucked on the straw of her Iced Decaf Latte.

“Do I even wanna look at the next credit card bill?” he muttered, while he hooked a middle finger into one of the bags to pull it open a little more and take an unhappy, yet curious glance inside.

“I wouldn't if I were you.” Teddy replied casually, completely unfazed by his displeasure. “Not if you would like to avoid a heart attack.”

“Damn, woman. Did ya fuckin' leave anything in those stores for other women to buy?”

“What do you want me to do? Go to work in YOUR sweatpants and T-shirts? Not that I don't love wearing your stuff, but it's not really suited for work.”

“But did ya need this much?” Daryl sighed and stemmed his hands in his hips, surveying the scene in front of him in defeat.

“Well let's see,... None of my pants fit anymore, least of all comfortably, and I've already gone up a bra-size in the past two weeks. I've started showing a month earlier than with Milo, so chances are, that I might get a bit bigger than during my first pregnancy. I'm probably gonna be getting bigger by the week, which you are helping along splendidly with your stupid delicious snacks. I am just 13 weeks and have yet another 27 to go and grow. I need clothes for work, for my time off work, for working out, for lazing out on the couch, underwear, sleepwear-.”

“Don't really need sleepwear...,” His mumble interrupted her explanation, and Teddy watched him shake his head as his eyes swept over the shopping bags again. She suspected that he was counting how many of them there were.

“Come here, baby.” She put her drink on the table and shoved some bags to the floor, so that Daryl could sit down next to her. She held his face in her hands and soothingly rubbed her thumbs over the skin that covered his sharp cheekbones, while she kissed him softly. “I do need this stuff, baby. It's not as much as it looks anyway. You want me to feel comfortable when I'm as big as a hippo, right?”

“Yeah.” he simply replied before he kissed her again. He just enjoyed the gentle press of lips for a long moment, letting it center him. “Yeah, you're right. I want ya to have everythin' you need. You deserve it with everything you're doin' for us.”

“Thank you, sweetie. And don't worry. We can afford it. You know that.”

“I just get worried,... all the stuff we have to get for the little turtle... that's gonna cost a ton. Just want it to have everything, too. Everything I never had growin' up.” 

“And it will. I promise. We're doing good for ourselves. We have savings and we're not gonna shop at baby designer stores or something. And remember that my parents will give us a shit-load of stuff for the baby as well. Maggie and Billy barely had to buy any clothes themselves, because the families went crazy.” She pushed some hair off his forehead with her index finger before she let it slide over his temple and down his cheek to let her fingers thread through the soft, thick hair at the back of his neck. “Smile, baby. Everything is going to be fine.”

Daryl gave her a smile and another long kiss. He was just about to go and take the bags into the bedroom, so she could put her new clothes into the closet, when he remembered something. Teddy had had her check-up today and when she had called him earlier to tell him that everything looked great, she had promised a new picture.

“Where's the picture of my turtle?” he asked and looked for her purse. Teddy grinned and pulled it out from underneath some bags to her right. 

“Got it right here. It's looks a bit different than last time. Also I had a 4D-ultrasound, so it's a pretty clear picture.” Teddy took the picture out of her purse and handed it to her husband. She watched with a happy smile, when she saw the amazement on his face.

“Fucking hell,... there's a baby in there now. How's that possible? It's been just two weeks... Ain't no turtle no more. Shit, baby girl, look at those big feet.” a big grin started to form on his lips, as his observant eyes took in every little pixel. 

“Well, look at how quickly I started showing. The bigger I get, the bigger he or she gets. They develop fast, honey.”

“I can even see the toes. And the brain,... wow, it's a real little human in there. Guess we can agree that he or she got my feet. They're half as big as the torso.” Daryl chuckled happily.

“Yeah, it's still a bit dis-proportioned. The little nose is so cute, isn't it? It's my favorite part during ultrasounds, seeing the little noses. Don't ask me why, but it always makes me wanna squeal.”

“It is cute.” Daryl agreed and kissed the tip of Teddy's nose. “Let's hope it looks more like yours.”

“Why? I love your nose.” Teddy smiled. “If I could choose I'd want a little boy, who looks just like you. With your gorgeous blue eyes.”

“Ya want a boy?” 

“Yeah, I always wish for boys.” Teddy laughed. “They are just SO much easier than girls. Moms and daughters just tend to clash so early on... Not always, but in most cases... Of course that doesn't mean that I won't love the shit out of it, if it's a girl. In the end it really doesn't matter as long as it's healthy. As cliché as that sounds.”

“I agree. Don't care what it is, 's long as its chubby and healthy.”

“Would you stop with the chubby part already?” Teddy complained jokingly and slapped his arm lightly. “It's gonna tear me to shreds, if it's too big.”

“Yeah... sorry.” Daryl looked at the picture again, holding it closer to his face while he squinted. “Can't see anything yet, can ya?”

“The sex? No. That's gonna take about another month, but I'll make sure to make the next appointment after work, so you can be there and hear your little turtle's heartbeat.”

“Yeah, I wanna be there for that. The doc said the results from the blood test were fine? Yer healthy?”

“Yep, healthy as a horse. Nothing to worry about. She checked my iron level again, guess she didn't want to take my word for it. Just slightly below what she wanted, but it's okay for now. Just gotta make sure it stays that way.” Teddy explained with a smile. She had been feeling a bit better after they had gotten the iron level up and now that she was in her second trimester, she had started feeling better with every day. The headaches and the nausea and dizzy spells were almost completely gone. That's why she had decided to take the shopping trip today, before she really had to go to work in Daryl's clothes.

“Good. Ready for the weekend then?” Daryl asked while he got up to go and get a picture frame for the newest picture of their baby. He was intent on framing every single ultrasound and have it around until the baby was born.

“As ready as can be.” Teddy responded and followed suit by getting up. They had a busy weekend ahead of them. Tomorrow they were going to visit with Bernadette and Gerald to finally fill Bernie in on the baby news and on Sunday they would be on the farm to check on Maggie and spend some time with her and Billy, and also to let Merle know that he was going to be an uncle. “You know, if you are going to frame every single picture, you will run out of wall space pretty soon.”

“Don't care. I want these around. No discussion.” he said a little more forceful than necessary, making Teddy hold up her hands in defense.

“Hey, wasn't about to start one. It's cute that you already love it so much.” she kissed his cheek in passing and snatched up some of the bags to take to the bedroom. 

Her heart constricted in her chest while she went. Daryl's happiness about the baby always touched her deeply. How much he already loved “his little turtle” showed Teddy, how much he really wanted to have a child with her, and the fact that he had been willing to never even try for one, if she never would have been ready for it, showed her how much he truly loved her.

“You know,” Daryl's voice startled her out of her thoughts. Teddy hadn't realized that he had followed her into the bedroom. She turned to face him, holding her hand to her heart, while he waved the ultrasound picture around. “Maybe we should give this to Merle.”

“Or to my Mom...” Teddy laughed. “I still think she'll be way more excited than Merle.”

“Nah. He won't show it much, but Merle's gon' be real happy. He's got a soft spot for kids.” Daryl countered with a little smirk.

Teddy scoffed a little. “Sorry, but I will only believe that when I see it. I like Merle, I do, but I just don't see him being good with kids.”

“You're gonna be in for a surprise then. He had someone a couple years back. Woman with a little boy. I think Merle cared more for the boy than for the woman. She was a tweaker, neglected the kid, spent all their cash on meth instead of food. Merle spent his last buck making sure the kid had a decent meal with a big glass of milk, and a clean bed to sleep in.” Daryl talked while he put the ultrasound picture into the frame. “You can think what you want 'bout my brother, but growing up the way we did,... ya damn well make sure that the kids around ya are alright. We know what it's like to go hungry for days. Not bein' able ta sleep 'cause of the hunger? Would never want another kid to know what that feels like. Least of all our own.”

Teddy had tears in her eyes, her heart hurting for the little boy Daryl used to be back then. Sometimes she wished that Will Dixon was still alive, just so she could go and hurt him. She'd torture him for days if she could and then leave him to die a slow and painful death. She was sure that she wouldn't feel an ounce of guilt for doing so. Every time she felt those scars underneath her fingertips, every time she saw them, it clawed at her heart. She also sometimes resented Merle for leaving Daryl to fend for himself at such a young age. Merle himself had been a victim of those beatings, too, and Teddy wasn't convinced when Merle said he hadn't known that Will had done that to Daryl as well. 

“Did Merle help the boy get out of there? Tip off Social Services?” Teddy asked, wondering what had become of the boy when Merle had dropped out of the picture.

Daryl looked up at her for a moment, a heavy sigh leaving his lungs while he averted his gaze again. “Merle spent a night in the drunk tank down at the station,... the mother went into a meth rage,... stabbed the boy to death. Needless to say, Merle stopped 'dating' after that. Never got attached 'gain.”

“Jesus... how can mothers do that to their children? I took fucking ibuprofen and I sometimes feel like dying from guilt...” Teddy shuddered and wiped at her tears. Her eyes closed at the warm, comforting feeling that washed over her, when she felt Daryl's strong hands smooth over her little baby bump, holding her and their baby in his embrace.

“Don't even go there. You ain't nothing like them. You'll be the best momma in the world. Yer a doc and you specialized in kids. Our turtle's gon' have the best care on the planet. We'll prolly have to worry about you bein' too careful and thorough, instead of being negligent.” he chuckled quietly and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Hey,... no matter what happens,... I love ya and I know that you'll always do everything in your power to make sure our baby is okay. Alright?”

“Alright. Love you, too.” She put her hands on top of his and enjoyed his embrace for a moment, until he broke the silence.

“Anythin' ya wanna do tonight?”

“After I'm done with the clothes, why don't we eat and then I'll walk Roxy, while you take a little nap?” Teddy hid her smirk and busied herself with taking her clothes out of the bags.

“A nap? What am I? A grandpa?” Daryl frowned. He'd never taken a nap after dinner. Why should he? It had become very common for them in the past weeks to go pretty much straight to bed after dinner and Roxy's walk. Yeah okay, very much like an old married couple, but hey, what was he gonna do? Force Teddy to stay up even though she had been deathly tired? Stay up and watch TV alone? He saw no sense in being alone when Teddy was around and he saw it as the chance to catch up on some good sleep before the baby came.

“Trust me when I say, that you might want to charge your batteries a little.” Teddy smiled seductively as she turned around to face him. She nuzzled his scruff and gently dragged her nails up his jeans-covered thighs. “I might have some cravings...” she murmured suggestively, making Daryl perk up visibly. He looked down at her with wide eyes, searching her face for signs that she might be joking.

“Really? Yer ready ta go again?” he seemed more than just a little excited, which had Teddy giggling slightly.

“Yep. More than ready.” she grinned while she slowly kissed her way down to his neck and sucked softly on his pulse point.

“Ya better not be playin' with me, woman. That would be fucking evil.” he groaned, feeling his body throb with need already. 

“Guess you'll have to wait and see.” She winked at him and pulled away from him, in order to get the task at hand done. Daryl took a deep, calming breath and raked his hand through his hair, trying to get his body back under control.

“I'll take care of dinner.” he mumbled and vanished into the kitchen, before he wasted any more time. It had been five weeks since he'd had her last. Five weeks since he'd been able to touch her and make her feel good. Five weeks of not being inside of her, of not hearing her moan his name in pleasure, of not tasting and/or feeling her. His head was spinning now, all the things he wanted to do to her were rushing through his mind, and he wasn't able to decide what he wanted to do first. He was so distracted, that he almost cut off the tip of his finger while slicing tomatoes. 

Daryl put the knife down for a moment, admonishing himself to get it together. He was not a horny teenager anymore. Shit, but he just couldn't help but be excited. Teddy was starting to get all these little pregnancy curves, and he couldn't wait to slide his hands over them, when they weren't covered in clothes. He had seen her naked, coming out of the shower, just this morning, and the sight had had him goddamn salivating. Everything about her seemed rounder, fuller and softer, and Daryl just wanted to feel and kiss and squeeze. She had started showing practically overnight in the past week. While Daryl had been amazed, it hadn't been much of a surprise to Teddy. Apparently her tits had been the first thing to change in her first pregnancy, too, and apparently also at about the same time, if her muttered“yep, right on time” was any indication.

What had surprised them both was, how her belly had popped out so quickly. Only a bit bloated one week and now at the end of the next week, she HAD to wear loose-fitting and flowy tops, or else everybody would know immediately what was going on. Gerald had told him that it was normal for second-time mothers to start showing about a month earlier. Something about the size of the uterus never going quite back after a pregnancy, or shit like that. Daryl had tuned him out a bit, after he'd been reassured that this was normal. Teddy knew it was normal, too, but against all odds she had hoped it wouldn't be the case for her. However, it had them changing their game plan a little. Teddy had wanted to hold off on telling her mother for as long as possible, so she could just enjoy some quiet time and get used to the idea of being a mother again, without having her own mother meddle and call every five minutes to discuss “important” things. Teddy's uterus, unfortunately, had left them no choice but to come clean this weekend, before it grew even more.

After dinner, Teddy told him to just leave the dishes and have a coffee, or whatever else he wanted, and relax on the couch a bit. She took a reluctant Roxy for a walk, relieving Daryl of his dog-walking duty for the evening. Roxy had not been very happy with her momma lately. She had noticed that things were changing, that something was different, and she seemed to be mad at Teddy, whereas Snoopy had become even cuddlier with his momma than usual. Granted, Teddy hadn't paid as much attention to Roxy as before, because she had been either working, eating or sleeping, so she probably deserved some of Roxy's indifference towards her.

When they got back, Daryl had actually really fallen asleep on the couch. Probably more out of habit, because this used to be right around the time that they had gone to bed in the past weeks. Teddy fed their pets quietly, before she tiptoed her way to the bathroom, deciding on a shower before she woke Daryl up. Unbeknownst to him, her own body was humming with need and desire, just as much as his. She had missed him like crazy and she needed him more than anything now. Everything had already started to get more sensitive, due to the increased blood-flow in certain areas, and she needed his touch desperately. 

She dried herself off, skipping the body lotion this once, because Daryl preferred her not covering up her natural smell too much, and tonight, she wanted to give him everything he wanted. He was a kickass husband, he deserved having everything he wished for. She put on the lingerie she had picked up for tonight, hoping he would like it, while at the same time hoping, that it wouldn't survive on her body very long. The black sheer and lace baby-doll top was a little tight around her boobs, but that's exactly how she wanted it. It gave her a nice push-up effect, that displayed her new and improved cleavage wonderfully. The sight even appealed to her, and that meant something. 

The strings, with which she had tied both sides of the top together right between her breasts, teased along the skin of her pregnant belly, which parted the lacy fabric in an A-shape down the middle, revealing the tiny, matching G-string, which completed the sexy outfit. Usually she would have added matching stockings, but Daryl wasn't a fan of those, as he'd once told her, so she left her legs bare and also skipped the heels. She didn't trust herself on those anymore. She lit some candles around the bedroom, before she took one last look in the mirror and tousled her hair a bit, then she gave herself a satisfied nod and left the room. It was time to go and get her husband.

######## ####### ######## ######## ####### #######

She was surprised to find the couch empty upon entering the living room. She saw the light in the kitchen was on, so she made her way there on silent feet. She leaned against the doorframe, watching her husband get some bottled water out of the fridge. She bit her lip to keep in her moan, when she noticed the muscles in his arm flexing as he unscrewed the bottle. Soon she'd watch those muscles flex while he did something completely different with his hands.

Daryl felt her presence behind him, and taking a sip from the bottle, he turned around. He almost choked to death on that mouthful of water. He didn't know what he had expected, but certainly not this. Honestly, he had thought that she might be too tired again upon her return from the walk and had found his thoughts confirmed, when she had been in the shower once he'd woken up from the little nap on the couch.

“Damn, girl! Fucking look at ya...” he bit out between coughs. What he was seeing now, had definitely been worth the long wait. His mouth was watering as he took in every single inch of her amazing body. The sickly paleness that she had been sporting was long gone by now and had been replaced by her beautiful natural tan complexion. She looked absolutely alluring, and nothing short of an earthquake would be able to keep Daryl from taking her to the bedroom and reacquaint himself with her body right now. 

He screwed the cap back on the bottle and slammed it down on the counter. Then he walked towards her slowly, like a predator stalking his prey, never taking his eyes off of her once. Teddy dug her teeth into her bottom lip and giggled nervously, while she pushed herself back into the door-frame. She hadn't seen that intense look in his eyes in quite some time, and the heat of his gaze made her insides flutter in anticipation. Soon, he was right in front of her. His t-shirt-clad front was pressing lightly against hers, and his hands slowly stroked down her arms, from her shoulders all the way down to her fingertips, where he intertwined their fingers. He lowered his head and nuzzled his nose against hers, his tenderness a stark contrast to his rugged voice. 

“Yer playin' with fire, darlin'. Gettin' all dolled up for me like that... This ain't gon' be no five-minute-thing, ya know that, right? Gonna take my sweet time with ya tonight. Do all the things I missed out on in the past couple a weeks. Sure you can handle that, yet? 'Cause once we start, I ain't gonna stop anytime soon. Won't be able to, neither.”

“Bring it on.” Teddy simply stated. She was more than ready for this and she had waited long enough to make sure she had all her energy back.

Daryl swiftly closed the distance between their mouths and as their lips tasted each other, his big, strong hands cradled the sides of her neck, his thumbs stroking over the soft skin of her cheeks. The kiss was absolutely not what Teddy had expected. After this long waiting period, she had expected this to be wild and full of urgency, she had expected his kisses to be rough and all tongue and teeth. What she got instead was slow, full of love and restraint, but still quite passionate. The surprise was by no means a bad one. It was extremely welcome, because somehow it was far more intense, than what she had anticipated. He wasn't just talking a big game, he WAS going to take his sweet time with her.

Daryl stooped over a little bit, teasingly dragging the fingertips of both hands along the backs of her thighs, from the back of her knees up to just underneath her ass. His ministrations left goosebumps in their wake, and Teddy moaned quietly as a pleasant shudder came over her. She wrapped her arms around his neck just as he gripped her thighs and hoisted her up into his arms, guiding her legs around his waist. They were still kissing, their lips not parting once, while he carried her into their bedroom. He knew the place like the back of his hand and was able to take her there without opening his eyes once. Before she knew it, she felt the cool sheets on their bed against her shoulders, which were merely covered by the thin straps of the baby-doll top.

Teddy unwrapped her arms from around his neck, her fingertips trailing down his chest while he knelt between her legs and pulled off his t-shirt. He opened his belt and unbuttoned his pants but left them on for now, while he feasted his eyes on her lithe form. He was glad they had already gotten the pregnancy sex-talk out of the way a week earlier. He knew everything he had wanted and needed to know, now they could get straight to business, without any worries.

“One rule, darlin'.” his voice pulled her attention away from his broad chest and made her look up at him. “Your hands stay away from this...,” his fingers drew a circle around his crotch, “... until I put them there myself. Got it? MY playtime tonight.”

“Got it.” Teddy reassured him, and just to be on the safe side, she lifted her arms and held on to the headboard.

“Good girl.” his low growl had her shivering and squirming, much to his satisfaction. He grasped one delicate ankle in his hand and slowly lifted her leg up to his mouth. He kissed the inside of her ankle gently, before he parted his lips and flicked his tongue against the same spot. Ever so slowly he placed little kiss after little kiss on her skin on his way up her leg. 

“Daryl...” Teddy mewled impatiently. She couldn't believe that he actually was going through with this. She didn't mind nice and slow, but this would be torture. A pretty good way of torture, but still torture.

“Hush, darlin'. Trust me that ya won't be left wantin' tonight. Patience, sweetheart. Ain't just gonna fuck ya and get it over with. Waited too long for this to be done within a half hour.” he murmured against her soft calf, nuzzling the spot for a moment, before his mouth traveled further up, stopping again when he reached her knee. Teddy jumped in shock when he felt his hot, wet tongue dip into the hollow at the back of her knee. She had never considered that are to be erogenous, but she couldn't help but moan, when the little touch made bolts of lust shoot up her thigh and create that warm, sharp pull deep inside her center. 

Daryl switched over to her other leg, giving it the same treatment the previous one had received, once again making her moan, by sensually flicking his tongue against the back of her knee. This time he didn't stop, though. He let his tongue brush along the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. He stopped midway to her core for a gentle little bite, before resuming his journey up her leg. Goosebumps broke out on her skin once more, when his tongue reached the crease, where thigh and her core met. Teddy's hand shot down and her fingers threaded in his hair on their own volition. A desperate attempt to keep him from pulling away again, which of course, he did anyway, to lavish the same attention on her other thigh. 

Her hips were undulating, trying to push her her throbbing pussy against his lips, but Daryl evaded those attempts by quickly pushing her hips down with his strong hands, pinning her to the mattress, while his wonderfully skilled tongue slowly traced along the edges of her panties, the whole triangle, making Teddy's clit pulsate in earnest. She groaned in frustration when he pulled away yet again, this time with a devilish smile. 

“I know ya wanna get off bad, girl. I can smell it. Smells good enough ta eat...”

“Then fucking do it already.” Teddy growled. Her obvious need for him had Daryl's inner animal purring contentedly. 

“Soon. All in good time, darlin'.” he winked, before he lowered his head again and kissed her slightly swollen belly softly, over and over again. It took Teddy a moment to realize that he was not choosing random spots to kiss, but that his kisses were placed deliberately. She paid closer attention and tears sprang to her eyes when she realized, that he was kissing the shape of a heart onto her belly. Her Undercover Romantic was making an appearance again. She gently caressed his hair and bit her lip to keep from sobbing, while he finished up by placing a lingering kiss in the middle of the invisible heart, right above her belly button. “Love ya both so fuckin' much.” he whispered against her skin, clearly talking to his unborn child, even though he knew, that he or she wasn't able to hear him yet.

He looked back up at Teddy with a little happy smile, but his expression soon turned into one of concern, when he noticed the tears that were leaking out of her eyes. He pushed himself up on his hands and crawled up her body until he was hovering over her. He used one hand to wipe her tears away, while he searched her face for signs of pain.

“You okay, darlin'? Did I hurt ya?”

“No. Not at all, it's happy tears, I swear.” she cradled his jaw in her hands and pulled his face down to hers. She kissed him with all she had, pouring all of her love for him into that kiss. Daryl kissed her back with equal fervor, and they both conveyed their emotions to the other in this way, before the kiss turned heated and more playful. Daryl nibbled and sucked on her bottom lip and coaxed her tongue out of her mouth, to meet his. They licked at each other, swirling, flicking and teasing, until Daryl closed the distance between their lips and deepened the kiss again. He carefully lowered himself on his side right next to her, not the slightest bit of space left between their bodies. His right hand sought out the strings of her top, pulling on one to loosen the neat little bow that was holding the top together in the middle. He pushed the material away from her body, his breath hitching in his throat in anticipation the short second before he finally cupped her breast for the first time in over a month. He gently stroked the swollen globe with his calloused hand, squeezing lightly, before he cupped it again. They were already a bit bigger than before and Teddy had promised that they would grow some more. He couldn't wait. This was heaven. 

“They're heavier.” he grinned and squeezed again. 

“I know. You like?”

“I fuckin' love, girl.” he murmured and lowered his head to have his lips have a feel of her tits as well. He kissed and licked them all over, and while his hand stayed on her left breast, his mouth wandered over to the right. He let his tongue part his lips to lap at her soft nipple, while his thumb rubbed across the other one simultaneously. Teddy's breath hitched in her throat sharply and her fingernails dug into his scalp as she released a loud moan. Daryl's head snapped up in surprise and Teddy had to keep from laughing out loud. The expression on his face was almost comical.

“Don't fuckin' tell me ya like that now.”

“Surprise.” Teddy grinned, knowing he would just love that she was more sensitive now.

“Seriously? Fuck! Why didn't ya tell me?”

“It would have made the wait even harder for you, baby. Imagine knowing that it would get me really turned on now, but having to wait two weeks to get your hands on them.”

Daryl didn't even reply anymore. He pushed his hands underneath her back, lifting her a little in order to be able to tear the baby-doll top off her body. Once it hit the floor, Daryl's hand and mouth were back on her breasts, exploring happily. He let his tongue toy with her hardened peak, reveling in the sounds she was making and in the way her fingers were tugging on his hair in pleasure. She shuddered and released a little shout when he started sucking and Daryl thought he might cum in his pants. This was a dream coming true. He'd never had her squirming and panting from sucking on her nipples, and he briefly wondered, if he would be able to get her off just by doing that, by the way she was responding to him. He removed his hand from her breast and let it slide down over her belly, towards her panties. His dick was twitching something awful in his pants, when he pushed them underneath the flimsy fabric and felt her soft curls. He'd fucking missed this. He pushed his fingers lower, suddenly tearing his mouth away from her breast and resting his forehead on her chest, while he seemed to be fighting for control.

“Goddamn fucking hell, woman...” he cursed under his breath. On the inside he was roaring, drowning out the sound of his blood rushing in his ears. He had almost forgotten what she felt like. She was so soft, so hot and so. Fucking. Wet. He swore that he had never ever felt her being this goddamn wet before. It was driving him nuts. He removed his hand again, much to Teddy's dismay, and took several deep breaths, before he trusted himself to speak again. “Sorry, luv... but Imma keep ya knocked up for years ta come if it gets ya like this. Good fucking Lord...”

“I told you it would be better...” Teddy panted while she pressed her legs together, to ease the wild throbbing in her core at least a little bit.

“Yer killin' me, woman. Abso-fucking-lutely killin' me. Can't have ya touchin' me at all tonight. Ain't gonna cum in my pants like no fucking teeny. You stay away from the danger zones.”

Despite being horny as fuck, Teddy burst out laughing. “You did NOT just call your dick and your nipples fucking 'Danger Zones'.”

Daryl lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at her, but his lips were twitching in amusement. “Sure you wanna mock me right now, funny girl?”

Teddy gasped when she felt his fingertips sliding back into her panties, and she quickly stopped laughing. “Nope,... not mocking at all... mmmm please don't stop again. Oh God!” her hips bucked up on their own when Daryl's middle finger slid over her swollen clit.

He got comfortable next to her and started teasingly rubbing the very tip of his finger back and forth over the sensitive nub, barely touching her, but at the same time teasing her oh so damn good. Her knuckles were turning white, because she gripped the headboard so hard, but she forced her hands to stay up there, because if she would dig her fingernails into his leg right now, she would sure leave bloody marks. Her body was shaking, she needed release badly and he was still denying her what she needed to have all that tension inside her body shatter into a million pieces.

“Want some more of this?” his voice was low in her ear, his breath hot against her skin, making a prickling fire rush down her neck, which he quickly soothed with his tongue.

“Please, Daryl.” she begged him. “You weren't the only one who waited five weeks.”

“I know, sweetheart. I know.” he kissed her passionately, letting his tongue roam alongside hers as his fingers lightly pressed against her opening. “Now, relax for me, darlin'. Tell me when something hurts ya 'nd I stop right away.”

“Nothing's going to hurt. Don't worry.” she kissed him once more, before he pulled away and watched her face while he slowly pushed his middle finger inside of her. He started chewing on his bottom lip, trying to hold on to the little bit of control he had left, while he watched her eyes flutter shut in delight and felt her wet, soft walls squeezing his finger. 

“Good?”

“You have no idea, baby. Keep going, please.” Teddy breathed deeply, enjoying feeling him like that again immensely. She couldn't wait to have his dick inside of her, his finger already felt fucking amazing.

Daryl added a second finger and began moving them in and out of her slowly for a moment, before he curved them up and felt along her front wall for her g-spot. His mouth wandered from her neck down to her breasts again, circling a stiff nipple with his tongue and gently tugging on it with his teeth. Teddy moaned loudly and couldn't help but bury one hand in his hair, keeping his mouth pressed to her chest.

“Yes! Oh fuck yes, Daryl. Please, please, please, don't fucking stop now.” Teddy begged almost desperately when he hit her magic spot. This time Daryl had no intention of stopping, he knew letting her wait any more would be taking it too far. He kept his fingers imbedded deeply inside of her and massaged her g-spot with his fingertips with circular motions, while his thumb used the same motions on her clit. Teddy's breathing picked up quickly and she bend her knees, stemming her feet into the mattress to push herself harder against his hand.

Daryl groaned against her breast, when he felt her starting to flutter around him and let his hand pick up some speed. He knew she was close, he hadn't heard those sounds in a while, but he knew them and he had missed them so much that he felt like weeping with joy at hearing them again. There it was, the labored breathing, the high-pitched moaning and his name on her lips, only a couple more seconds until...

“Daryl,... Daryl... Daryl... oooohhhh fuuuuuuck baby yeeeeeeess!!!” she held onto Daryl with all she had, because she felt like she might pass out if she didn't. She clawed at his back, adding red, angry welts to his already existing scars. She would apologize for hurting him later, but right now she couldn't help it. He was her anchor that would keep her conscious... but not for very long it seemed. 

While her body was still in the throes of her orgasm, he freed himself from her grasp and scooted further down. He wasn't finished with her yet. Both of his hands took hold of the thin strip of fabric that connected the two little triangles of that g-string she was wearing. With one sharp tug he tore it apart on the right side of her hip first, then he destroyed the one on the left side. He grabbed her thigh and quickly jerked her ass off the mattress long enough to pull the destroyed panties away from her body and throw them on the floor. Teddy had just started catching her breath, but it rushed out of her lungs again, when his lips wrapped around her pulsating clit and alternated between sucking and licking. 

“Oh motherffff....” Teddy moaned breathlessly as she writhed and ground her hips against his face helplessly. The tension was starting to build again at supersonic speed and it took less than a minute until he had her mewling his name again. Her upper body lifted off of the mattress, she pulled on his hair so hard, that he was sure she had torn some out, while a low whine left her mouth as a slow but intense orgasm rolled through her body. It felt like a rolling wave of thick, dark molasses, that stuck to and pulled at all the right nerve endings. One single tear leaked out of each eye without Teddy being able to control it, from the intensity of her climax. 

Daryl stopped and released her over-sensitized little nub from his mouth. He slowly kissed his way up her body as Teddy sunk back against the mattress, taking shallow breaths while she tried to piece her world back together bit by bit. Her eyes were closed, but she felt him hovering over her even before his lips made contact with her face. 

“Holy fucking crap, baby. I think you just broke me.” she whispered and blindly reached for his cheek to stroke her fingertips along the smooth skin, that could be found between all the scruff.

“I did, huh? Told ya I wouldn't leave you wanting, didn't I?” he smirked proudly when he took in her flushed face and the light sheen of perspiration on her forehead, while she still had a hard time to get her breathing under control. “Little outta shape? No worries, I'll get ya back to old form in no time at all, darlin'.”

“There isn't a doubt in my mind that you will.” Teddy laughed and opened her eyes again. They just looked at each other for a moment, taking the other one in, letting their fingertips trace the contours of their noses and lips and cheeks, until Daryl looked between them and put his hand on her belly.

“Everything okay down here?” he asked with a hint of concern.

“Everything is fine. He or she just know feel that momma is really happy right now.” Teddy giggled. 

“Good.” he smiled and leaned down to kiss her belly again real quick. When his lips came back up to meet hers, Teddy slowly let her hands glide down his chest towards the big bulge in his pants.

“Let's take care of you now, shall we?”

Daryl stopped her hands, before she was able to touch him. “No touching, darlin'. I wanna be inside ya when I cum, and it ain't gonna take long until that happens. Tomorrow you can play all ya want, but not tonight.”

“Okay, whatever you want, my love.” She smiled and tugged on his pants. “Come on, baby. Wanna feel you.”

Daryl didn't waste much more time. With her help he got rid of his jeans and his underwear. When those were on the floor he quickly pulled off his socks and let them join the clothes heap next to the bed. While he settled himself between her legs, Teddy pulled her knees up to her chest and crossed her ankles behind his head, knowing he liked it deep and that was also exactly how she wanted it.

He guided himself to her opening, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself and his rapidly beating heart, then he slowly pushed himself inside inch by inch, and he didn't stop until his balls were snugly resting against her ass. 

“Shit.” he breathed quietly as his eyes fell shut, once he was buried to the hilt inside his wife. “Are you okay, darlin'?” Even though she had told him numerous times, that they could keep having sex just like they used to before, he still worried that certain parts might have gotten too sensitive for this kind of deep penetration.

“I'm better than okay.” she smiled under her breath. “You feel so goddamn good, baby. I missed you so much. Just let go.”

With her encouragement he started to move, but he forced himself to keep it slow. This time not because he was worried about hurting her, but because it felt too good to be inside of her again and he didn't want it to be over too quickly. Teddy had different ideas, though. She was up to her old tricks and was squeezing her muscles around him, milking him with the most delicious pressure. Before long Daryl found his hips picking up speed, going faster and faster, harder and harder. Teddy had her hands on his thighs, scratching those up, too, when he gave it to her good. She was whimpering with each stroke of his cock, the sweet sound was feeding his own lust, as well as it was stroking his ego. Only he was able to get her to this point. Nobody else, just him.

“Ya like that, dirty girl? Yeah, you love getting slammed like this,... nice 'nd hard. Gonna cum for me again?”

“This is for you baby,... just for you... don't worry about me now,... take what YOU need.” she gasped between the hard pumps of his hips against her own, wanting him to find his own release and not hold back any longer.

He started grunting with every thrust, still trying to hold off on cumming too soon, but it was a lost cause, it had just been way too long. He felt the telltale signs of his imminent release, just when he had built the perfect rhythm. He was hitting all her spots, he could tell by the sounds she was making and he wanted to make her cum again, but he didn't stand a chance. It hit him hard and fast, forcing a lust-filled shout from his lips as his hips slammed into hers haphazardly a couple of times, while he erupted inside of her. Soon his body started coming down from its high and his arms started shaking. Carefully he lowered himself onto his forearms and pressed his forehead against Teddy's.

“All good?”

“Yes. All good, baby.” she reassured him smilingly.

They shared a loving kiss, before he rolled on his side and pulled the covers up over them. Once they were covered his hand sneaked back to her belly, gently caressing the soft, warm skin.

“Not even born and he's already got the most attentive daddy in the whole wide world.” Teddy murmured and let her fingertips tease through the little hairs on his forearm.

“He?” Daryl lifted his eyebrow at her, his mouth curved into an amused smile.

“It think it's a boy again.”

“Nah, you HOPE it's a boy again.” he corrected her with a little laugh.

“Yeah okay,... might be wishful thinking. You really don't have a preference? Not at all?”

“Not at all. Whatever it turns out to be, it's gonna be awesome.” he smiled as his hands slowly traveled upwards on her body. He cupped her right breast in his hand with a cute grin on his lips. “These are pretty awesome, too. Can't believe it changed so much for ya. That ya like this now...” he watched his thumb toying with her nipple and marveled at the sight of goosebumps breaking out all over her skin. “Fucking hot...”

“What is it with men and tits?” Teddy laughed, but enjoyed what he was doing nonetheless. 

“You complaining?”

“Not at all.” she replied with a gasp as he sucked her hardened nipple into his mouth once more. She knew in that moment, that sleep wouldn't be an option for quite some more time that night.

######## ######## ####### ####### ####### ###### #######

“Rise and shine, babe. Time to go and tell your momma 'bout her second grand-kid.” Daryl slapped her bare ass with a happy chuckle, making Teddy frown with her eyes still closed.

“I changed my mind, let's do that next week. Wanna sleep.”

“It's noon already, girl. We gotta get going.” he dropped the towel he had been wearing around his waist and stepped into a clean pair of underwear, while Teddy groaned and turned on her back, blinking her eyes open and looking at him grumpily.

“Why the fuck are you so happy this morning?”

“Ain't morning. It's noon. And I slept the best I've slept in fucking months.” he replied absently as he rummaged through the closet to find a long-sleeved shirt. It was pretty chilly out today. He'd learned that the hard way, when he'd gone outside to smoke and had forgotten to put on a sweater. He was really trying to quit, knowing he would spent a lot of time outside and having to wash and disinfect his hands if he kept smoking when the baby was born, but it was tough. He had been confident that he would be able to just quit over night, throw away his last pack and never look back again. Unfortunately, that had not been the case, so for now he was slowly cutting back, weaning himself off of nicotine week by week.

“Good sleep, huh? Guess you needed that workout then.” Teddy yawned and slowly crawled out of bed, leaving the warmth of the sheets behind and quickly tiptoeing into the bathroom to relieve herself and take a shower. The bathroom was still hot and steamy from Daryl's shower and she sighed blissfully when she stepped underneath the hot spray and let it wash over her body. She startled, when Daryl pushed the shower curtain open.

“What are you doing?” She looked at him in confusion when he backed away slowly before taking a seat on the closed toilet lid. 

“Watching your hot little body being all wet and soaped up.” he grinned mischievously.

“Maybe you should have waited with your shower... you could have joined me.”

“No. Wouldn't have made it to lunch with your folks then.” he winked and watched her hands glide over her own body. He realized that watching her had been a bad decision, when her soapy hands slid over her breasts. She was teasing him, a gaze holding a challenge while she cupped them and squeezed a little.

“Fuck...” Daryl breathed and when he found himself getting hard, he hid his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes furiously, before getting up. “I'm outta here. Sorry baby girl, but I wanna get this thing with your momma over with. Don't wanna hide this no more.”

“Sorry?” Teddy giggled. “You started this. Burned yourself on the fire you started yourself.”

“Rotten woman.” he grumbled while he left, making Teddy giggle even more.

###### ###### ###### ###### #######

An hour later they were already in the middle of lunch at Gerald and Bernadette's house. Teddy and Daryl were barely listening to Bernadette telling her stories from the country club, they were hungrily wolfing down the contents on their plates. Their nightly activities had left them feeling starved. 

“I tell you, that umpire was as blind as a bat. Or he had selective sight, because he only seemed to notice MY mistakes and none of Felicia Hoffman's. Teddy... are you sure you want a second helping?” Bernadette interrupted telling them about her latest tennis match when she noticed Teddy putting another big slice of pot roast on her plate. “No offense, but you're getting a little pudgy.” Daryl and Gerald almost choked on their drinks, when laughter threatened to burst out of them. 

“Yes, you are married now, but that doesn't mean that you have to let yourself go. Just look at me. I weigh the same I did when I was 17 years old. Maybe you should pick up jogging again. Well, maybe not jogging, since that didn't turn out too well for you the last time, but maybe you should start going back to the gym. Maybe take a few classes. You used to do yoga and spinning in Seattle, didn't you? Why don't you just pick that up again? I'm sure Daryl would appreciate it.”

“Well excuse me, but Daryl loves his wife just the way she is.” Teddy narrowed her eyes at her mother. That woman was just unbelievable. “And you're only at the same weight you had as a teenager, because you got half a ton of fat sucked out of your damn ass!”

“Girl, calm down.” Daryl put his hand on her knee and squeezed gently. This was just the way Bernadette was, but still Teddy got upset over it every single time and Bernadette knew that. She was probably provoking her on purpose to get a rise out of her and create some drama.

“Calm down? She just told me I was fat!” Teddy looked at her husband incredulously. Her hormones were in control and she couldn't help but getting upset over the statement.

“Gettin' upset ain't good right now... ya know why...” 

“Oh yeah, right. The reason why we are actually here...” Teddy slammed her silverware down on the table and got up from her chair. She turned sideways, so Bernie would get a nice view of her profile, and lifted her shirt. “You're gonna be a grandma again. Congratulations.”

Bernadette stared at the little baby bump with eyes as big as saucers. It took a moment before realization sunk in, but when it did, tears immediately started flowing. She cupped her hands over her mouth for a moment when the first sob escaped her, then she quickly reached for her napkin to dab at her wet eyes.

“Oh Teddy... Oh my God,... you're pregnant! You are actually pregnant! Oh sweetheart...” the older woman got up from her chair, too, and rounded the table, embracing her daughter in a big hug while she cried openly. “I'm so happy. This is so great. I never thought... Never ever thought you'd have a baby again. Oh you must be so scared, sweetie.”

“I am.” Teddy's own eyes started watering when her mother instinctively knew what she felt like on the inside. It was something that probably only a mother could understand. “I'm scared out of my mind.”

“I know, sweetie, I know. So the cyst wasn't a cyst?”

“It was a cyst. Obviously I did have an ovulation that caused it, but it wasn't the cyst that caused the symptoms, that was the pregnancy and the anemia. I'm sorry I didn't tell you at the hospital, but I just needed some time-”

“Don't apologize, I understand. I guess I would have done the same thing. I take it your father knew?”

“He did. I asked him not to tell anyone. I didn't want you to know, because I didn't want Billy to know, either. But he knows... and he's fine with it.”

“Of course he's fine with it, Teddy. He's your brother and he loves you. No matter what he says, he will always love you more than he loves himself. Trust me on that.” Bernadette pulled away a little to look down at the now covered bump. “This is so exciting. How far along are you?”

“14 weeks tomorrow.” Teddy replied, and Bernadette laughed.

“And you're showing already? My, that is going to be a big baby. No wonder you're fat already.”

“MOM!”

“I'm kidding. You look good. As long as the baby is healthy, everything is good.” she hugged Teddy again, before she turned her attention to Daryl. “And you...”

Daryl took a step back, not really knowing what to expect. He shifted his weight uncomfortably when Bernie cradled his face in her hands and looked directly into his eyes while she spoke.

“You wonderful boy, you! Thank you so much. You might never know or realize what you have done for this family. Teddy was so very different before she met you, you have no idea, you never met the woman she used to be. Believe it or not, but you are the glue that put this family back together, Daryl. We all know that and we all love you even more for that. And now you're giving us this? You are a godsend Daryl Dixon. You truly are.”

“Ain't done much, Momma B...” Daryl mumbled self-consciously. He wished she would stop crying, he didn't know what to do, but he had to admit, that what she was doing felt good. It reminded him of his very early childhood years, when his mother had still cared for him and had always had a gentle, motherly touch or kiss in store for him.

“You've done everything, sweetheart. Thank you.” she pulled his face down and kissed his cheek, making Daryl blush furiously. He couldn't meet her gaze anymore and looked anywhere but her. Bernadette laughed a little and shook her head in disbelief. “Look at him, such a shy boy. You are so cute. I get why my daughter is so smitten with you.”

“Mom, leave him be. You know he is uncomfortable with this kind of thing.” Teddy laughed and took her husband's hand. “Come on, baby. Let's get the ice-cream from the kitchen. Relieve Rosario a little. She's busy enough with the laundry right now.”

Daryl let himself be pulled from the room and into the kitchen, glad for the chance to get out of there for a moment. As far as he had come in the past year, he was still very uncomfortable when people other than Teddy were affectionate towards him, especially with even more people around to watch the spectacle.

“Told you she loves you more than she loves me.” Teddy giggled and got the ice cream container out of the freezer.

“Stop. She's just happy bout being a grandma again.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Teddy smiled and put the ice cream on the counter and got out some bowls for them. Daryl stepped behind her and put his hands on her waist while he watched her scoop their dessert into the bowls.

“You're still scared?”

“Of course I am, Daryl. That won't go away overnight.”

“I thought you were doin' better. Ya haven't mentioned anythin' since we found out.”

“Mentioning it all the time won't make it better, you know? And I don't want to talk to you about how scared I am, all the time. That's what therapy is for. I wanna try to enjoy the good times with you.”

“But we're married. I don't want you to just give me the good times. I want ya to share the bad times with me, too. We don't do things half-assed, remember? If ya keep that from me it don't make me feel good. Or don't you trust me with this? Ya think I wouldn't take it seriously?”

“No. That's not it at all. I didn't have any bad intentions at all, I just thought I'd take my fears to the therapist and share the times, when I can be happy about this and forget about the bad stuff for a minute, with you.”

“I want it all. Got it?”

“Okay. Got it.” she agreed and turned her head to kiss his cheek.

“Good. Now fill our bowls up, woman. We'll need that energy later.” he grinned against her ear and pulled her back against his groin. 

“Oh really? Already got plans again, huh?”

“You know it.” he growled and gently bit the back of her neck.

“Did you find everything?” Bernadette's voice made his head snap up and he pulled his hands off of Teddy like she was on fire. “Oh please, you're married and you made a baby, Daryl. I know what you do in your free time. No need to blush. It's actually kind of nice to see you being affectionate with each other. It is such a rare sight.”

“I gotta take a piss.” Daryl responded gruffly and quickly exited the kitchen.

“Please don't tell me he is that shy in the bedroom, Theodora.” Bernie laughed and joined her daughter at the counter.

“Mom, please. Why do you have to tease him, you know it makes him uncomfortable.”

“But he is so adorable when he blushes and gets all embarrassed. Now tell me,... how is he? I don't think we have ever talked about it.”

“No we haven't, because you are my mother and this isn't Sex and the City.”

“Oh come on. We are grown up and modern women. We can talk about things like that. Just tell me if he is any good. If he is able to satisfy your needs.”

“Good God, mother... I married him, that should tell you enough, but fine, he is an amazing and very generous lover. That's all you need to know and please spare me any remarks about Daddy's sexual prowess or I will throw up all over the ice cream.”

“Such a prude. I don't know where you get that from. Certainly not from me. Your brother is the same way.”

“Yeah, because you just don't spill the beans about your sex life to your parents like that. I think you watch too much TV, mother.” Teddy closed the lid of the ice-cream container and put it back in the freezer. “Now, no more sex talk. You're gonna traumatize that poor man and I still need him.” Teddy muttered while she took two bowls and walked back to the dining room. Bernadette followed her with the remaining two bowls, rambling on and on about some friend of hers and her daughter and how they always tell each other everything.

“They even bought vibrators for each other...”

“MOM!!!”


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

It was still dark when Teddy woke up, signaling her that it was still night or very early morning. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, letting her sight adjust to the darkness around her until she was able to make out shapes in the dim moonlight, that some cracks in their blinds allowed to shine through, illuminating the room the tiniest bit.

She craved a nice, big glass of cold juice, and carefully got out of bed, trying not to disturb a peacefully sleeping Daryl too much. That's why she left the lights off, at least in the bedroom. He was kind of a light sleeper and she didn't want him to wake up. Lord knew he needed his sleep, he'd been working his ass off for her and their unborn child, making sure they were both happy and healthy.

On silent feet she sneaked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her before she turned on the lights. She was stunned when she found the light in the kitchen already on. Had they forgotten to turn it off earlier? Usually they were being quite mindful of things like that. They always made sure that the lights were off, that all appliances and the stove were turned off and that the front door and all the windows were closed and locked. 

Her heart started beating a bit faster inside her chest as she made her way towards the kitchen. She stopped short in the doorway, when she noticed a small figure standing in front of the fridge, apparently looking at an ultrasound picture Daryl must have pinned to its door without Teddy noticing. She took a closer look at the figure, realizing that it was a little boy, couldn't be older than 4 or 5, judging by his height. He was wearing Batman pajamas and his feet were bare. One of his arms hung loosely by his side, the other one was tucked against his body, keeping something clutched tightly to his chest. The big brown teddy bear with the red velvet bow tie around its neck seemed familiar, but Teddy wasn't able to put her finger on it.

“Hey...” Teddy's hoarse voice called out to the young boy, but he didn't make any move to acknowledge her. “How did you get in here? Hello?”

She slowly walked towards him when he kept ignoring her. She crouched down and gently touched his shoulder, turning him around to face her. When she saw his face and his cold and empty green eyes met her own, all air rushed out of her lungs in shock. Before she could do anything, the little boy opened his mouth and finally spoke.

“Why did you let me die, Mommy? Didn't you love me anymore? I could still be here with you. I would have been good, I swear.”

“Milo... Baby...” Teddy didn't get more words out, her tears and sobs were choking her. “I love you. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, baby.” the words were barely recognizable, she was sobbing too hard to be talking clearly.

####### ####### #######

“Darlin', wake up. C'mon girl, wake up, it's just a dream. TEDDY!” Daryl was gently tickling her ribs in an attempt to wake her up. He didn't want to shake her, instead he raised his voice to help along in getting her out of her apparent nightmare. He had been in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, when he had suddenly heard her start whining and sobbing in earnest. He had almost fallen over Roxy, who had also run towards the bedroom at the sound of her momma's distress. 

“Down girl, I got it. Leave momma be.” Daryl gently pushed Roxy's head away from Teddy's face. He kissed Roxy's forehead, making sure she knew that he wasn't mad at her, and sat down on the edge of the bed, next to his dreaming wife. Roxy sat down next to the bed, keeping watch, while Daryl tried to wake Teddy up once more. She might not have been too happy with her momma, but she still didn't like it when Teddy was crying and making “bad sounds”.

“Teddy,... Teddy, come on, babe. Wake up.” he finally brought himself to shake her shoulders gently, feeling relieved when her bloodshot eyes finally snapped open.

It took her a minute to realize that it had just been a dream. Her gaze darted around the room, taking in the sunshine that was shining through the cracks in the blinds instead of moonlight, noticing that she was still in bed and not in the kitchen, seeing Roxy next to the bed and finally, Daryl's face hovering over hers, a concerned expression in his clear, blue eyes. She sat up, wishing she could release a deep breath in relief, but it got stuck in her throat. That little boy's voice and his words replayed hauntingly inside her head, and she couldn't stop crying. She pulled her knees up and hid her face in her hands, resting them against her knees as sobs wracked her small shoulders.

Daryl watched helplessly, not sure what to do. He'd never seen her cry like this before. He'd never had to deal with anything like it. He reached out and gently put his hand on the top of her head, before he realized that she wasn't Roxy and probably wouldn't appreciate being petted like a dog. 

“Fuck it!” he muttered quietly and scooted closer to pull her into his arms, hoping that it was what she wanted. Teddy went willingly and pushed her hand-covered face against his chest, weeping and sobbing loudly, making her husband feel sick to his stomach, because he couldn't stand to see her in such a sad and upset state. Also, it couldn't be good for their baby. 

“Sshhhh,... it was just a dream. Just a dream, sweetheart. You're awake now. Everything is fine.” he tried to soothe her by speaking in hushed tones and rubbing her back gently. 

“He thinks I let him die...That he wasn't good enough.” she whispered brokenly and looked up at him with the saddest expression he had ever seen. It was breaking his heart and he felt like crying right along with her.

“No, he don't. He was too young to think anything like that. You know that, darlin'. And you know what happened wasn't your fault. Nothing could have stopped it from happening. Now come on, wipe those tears off your pretty face and shake it off. Uncle Merle's waiting. Can you imagine him handling a baby? His own niece or nephew? I just know you're gon' get a kick out of that.” Daryl slowly coaxed a little smile out of his wife and kissed her gently when he had achieved his goal.

“Love ya, girl. You can do this. WE can do this. Remember what the shrink told ya, that ya can't get stuck in those dreams, that ya have to move on and don't give it too much weight, right?” Daryl didn't feel too good about telling her to just shake it off and go on like nothing happened, but Teddy had told him that the therapist had said that they shouldn't spend too much time examining the dream and its meaning. Just trying to forget about it like any other nightmare would help in not giving it too much importance and ultimately help her deal with them better. 

“Yes. That's right.” Teddy used her nightshirt to dry her face. The therapist had also warned her that she might get this kind of nightmare the whole pregnancy, that her subconscious was going to dig up all the residual guilt she still felt over her son dying. “Just felt so real. Stupid hormones. Last pregnancy I had nightmares, too. They were like the most brutal horror-slasher flicks. I dreamed about people hanging upside down on a hook from the ceiling and then a masked man came and took an axe to their necks. I saw the terror on their faces, I felt it, too,... all their fear. Gosh, my heart was hammering like crazy every single time. Hopefully those won't come back on top of the Milo dreams.”

Daryl's eyes were wide as he slowly released a deep breath. He hadn't known about that. By now he had heard about a lot of crazy things a pregnancy could do to a woman, but she hadn't told him about the nightmares yet. The Milo nightmares, he'd been aware of that it would happen, but this horror-movie stuff? That was rough. And the worst part was, that she couldn't do anything about it. That was why he gladly played Mr. Belvedere for her, it was the least he could do to thank her for making his biggest dream come true.

“Let's hope.” he cleared his throat and clapped his hands once. “Ready for breakfast?”

“Hell yeah. I'm starving. What's for breakfast?” her tummy was already rumbling at the prospect of getting food. Daryl was spoiling her with all the stuff he was making. He had quickly become a master at making pregnancy-friendly stuff she would like.

“Apple-Cinnamon Overnight Oats. With walnuts.” he replied while he got up and handed her a fluffy robe. Then he went to the dresser and got out a pair of socks for her, before tossing them at her. “Here. It's pretty cold again today.”

“Thanks.” she put on the socks and the robe and finally got out of bed. “Hi baby. Good morning. Did you sleep well?” She didn't have to lower her head too far to kiss Roxy's head, before she scratched behind the dog's ears. The Great Dane was fully grown now and her head came up to about an inch or two above Teddy's belly button. Their little girl was indeed a small pony, just like Teddy had predicted, when Daryl had suggested that she should get a Great Dane.

“She was worried bout you. Came runnin' in here even before I made it in.” Daryl smiled and stepped behind Teddy, cradling her bump in his hands.

“Really? Aww that's so sweet, baby girl. Are you starting to forgive me?”

“Sure she is. Who can be mad at you for long?”

“You'd be surprised.” Teddy laughed in reply, before the threesome headed out of the room for some breakfast. Snoopy was already crouched over his bowl, inhaling his special Sunday treat. Every Sunday he got a whisked egg yolk with cream, a tradition they had taken over from his previous owner. The egg yolk was supposed to be good for their fur and the cream was just a little treat. Ever since they'd had Snoopy, they had given Roxy a special Sunday treat as well, so she wouldn't feel left out. She got a nice, big raw and meaty bone Daryl got fresh from the butcher every week, just for her.

While the pets were munching away happily, Teddy and Daryl sat down for their own breakfast. He wasn't feeling the oats too much, so he'd made himself scrambled eggs and bacon. Teddy inhaled deeply, filling her nostrils with the wonderful aroma of bacon, and looked at his plate with envy. 

Daryl had already finished half his meal when he noticed that she hadn't even started on her oats yet. He saw her staring at his bacon and he was damn sure that she had never looked at him with so much longing in her eyes. He was tempted to offer her some, but he was smart enough not to. If she wanted to live like a health nut for the next 26 weeks, he would support her. If she wanted to throw those plans out the window and just eat whatever she craved, he'd support that as well, as long as it wasn't on the “bad foods” list. Whatever she wanted, she would get, but he would not voice his opinion or talk her into doing one or the other. If it was up to him he'd tell her to just do whatever she felt like doing. In his mind, pregnancy was like a free pass for women to do what they wanted. He wouldn't ask her to torture herself or deny herself simple pleasures. Momma B had told him that back in her day nobody ever watched that stuff and the generation before hers sure as hell hadn't watched it either. They had delivered their children while working on the fields and everyone survived, most of the time anyway. Hell, his own mother sure never watched out for what she should and shouldn't do and he and Merle were both as healthy as horses. There was a thing like being too careful and he knew Teddy was at risk of being one of those too careful-mothers, due to her past experience. He hoped that the therapist would help and that he and Teddy both would be able to enjoy the rest of the pregnancy without too many bad incidents.

“Like yer oats?” Daryl asked when she had finally started eating what he had made for her. 

“It's delicious. You know, if you ever get tired of cars, you could totally start working as a chef.” Teddy smiled proudly at him.

“God no. Don't like cooking enough to work in a damn kitchen. I only like doin' it for us.” Daryl winked as he got up to take his plate to the dishwasher. He noticed the display of Teddy's phone blinking and handed it to her. “Your brother.”

“Hey, what's up?” Teddy asked with her mouth full after accepting the call. She wondered briefly why he was calling, because they would be seeing each other in about an hour anyway. “Oh damn... No, I don't mean damn, as in 'that's bad'. Everything is going to be alright, Billy. Just calm down. Whatever you do, you have to stay as calm as possible, alright? Grab her go-bag, grab your wife and take her to the hospital, I'll meet you there. Everything will be fine. Get going. I'll get dressed real quick and leave right after. I'll probably be there faster than you. I'll wait for you at the entrance. Drive carefully, don't panic.”

Daryl stared at her with wide eyes. What he had heard on her side of the conversation made him panic. If something went wrong for Billy and Maggie it meant that things could go wrong for them, too. “Hospital? Shit! Something wrong with the boy?”

“Nope, just wants to be with his parents three and a half weeks sooner than expected. She's having contractions and her water broke. Guess telling your brother about our baby will have to wait. Looks like we'll deliver a Robertson today.”

“But she wanted to give birth at home. Why you sending her to a hospital if nothing's wrong?”

“Because I never deliver premature babies at home if I can't help it. His lungs might not be developed enough yet and he'll need the medical care only a hospital can provide. Also he hadn't turned yet last week, so that's a whole other complication.” Teddy explained between shoveling the last spoonfuls of her meal into her mouth quickly. “Gotta get dressed. You gonna come too after Roxy's walk?”

“Yeah, 'course I'm gon' be there.” he followed her into the bedroom and watched her change into her brand new maternity jeans and a black sweater. “You take your own advice and drive careful, alright?”

“Of course, baby. Don't worry. I'm in no hurry, they will need about half an hour longer than me.” she jammed her feet into a pair of sneakers and quickly kissed her husband goodbye before jogging out the door.

####### ####### #######

Teddy was surprised to see Merle accompanying Billy and Maggie. She had figured that Billy wasn't fit to drive, but she would have expected Hershel, Shawn or Beth instead of Merle. Her brother-in-law picked up on her confusion and instead of a greeting, he offered an explanation right away.

“Her Daddy and Lil' Bethy are on another farm, delivering a calf. They'll be on their way here shortly. Pretty boy here was in no condition to drive himself.”

“Teddy,... this wasn't supposed to happen. It's too soon. What if he's sick?” Maggie was crying and a little hysteric. The pain of the contractions was worse than she had imagined. She was no sissy, she was able to take a lot, but this really took the cake and she was overwhelmed.

“If something really is wrong, then he is in very good hands here. Come on, let's get you checked in and then checked out.” Teddy quickly got in between Maggie and Billy. She felt that Billy was in no state to comfort his wife right now, he was oozing nervousness and she knew it wouldn't help Maggie. She knew how Maggie felt, having experienced that helplessness and that feeling of being overwhelmed herself. She took Maggie's hand, gently rubbing the back of it with her thumb, while she guided her to the reception desk. “Take deep breaths. Really deep, all the way down to your son. Focus on your breathing, just like I showed you. Nice and slow.”

“Why does it hurt so much? It's just the beginning, please tell me it can't actually get worse!” Maggie bit out, her face going red when she instinctively held her breath when the next contraction seized her belly.

“Breathe Maggie, I know it's tough, but you have to relax as much as you can. Don't hold your breath, come on. Deep breaths. You can do it. Watch me, do it just like I do it, okay?” Teddy stood in front of Maggie, looking into her eyes and showing her how to breathe. Maggie finally took slow and deep breaths and started to relax a little, while Billy got her admitted. 

After that things went incredibly fast. The little boy still hadn't turned and was in breech position. He was also in an unsuitable position for a vaginal birth and the OB/GYN and Teddy both recommended a C-section in this case. Maggie no longer cared, she just wanted the pain to stop and her baby boy out as risk-free as possible, and if that was to be achieved by cutting her open, then that was the way to go. By the time that the Greenes, the Robertsons and Daryl got there, Maggie was already in surgery with Billy and Teddy by her side. About half an hour later, Billy appeared in the waiting area with wet, red-rimmed eyes, but a huge smile on his face.

“He's here. We named him John, he is 20 inches and 7 pounds and thank fucking God in perfect health.” Billy beamed and happily hugged his parents and the Greene family when they stormed towards him to congratulate him on the birth of his son.

“How's Maggie doing?” Hershel asked right after proudly clapping Billy's shoulder.

“Everything went well, she's back to smiling already, but that's probably because of the drugs that's still numbing her.” Billy laughed slightly. “Everything looks good so far. Some days of rest and she should be doing fine. I gotta get back, guys. I'll let you know when we get a room and you can come see us. Teddy said it might be a little while, why don't you go to the cafeteria and have coffee or something?”

“That's a great idea, son. You go ahead and give her our best in the meantime.” Gerald smiled and hugged his son once more, before he vanished back behind the double doors of the maternity ward.

######## ####### #######

Teddy joined the big group a little later in the cafeteria. She plopped down on Daryl's lap, not bothering with getting a chair, and planted a big kiss on him. He was getting better with PDA and she figured practice makes perfect. He squirmed a little and let his eyes dart around the group nervously, but he relaxed when nobody really paid attention to them.

“Hey princess, how you doin'? Ya look a lot better since last time I saw ya.” Merle properly greeted Teddy now that the urgent stuff was out of the way.

“Very well, thanks. How about you? You look good.” she smiled genuinely at her brother-in-law. The farm life really was treating him well. He had a healthy tan going and he had gained some weight and some muscle. She would even go as far as calling him pretty attractive now. Being sober and taking care of himself really suited him.

“You know what they say, bad people are always doing good.” he winked at her with his ever-present shit-eating grin. “You doin' better, yeah? Had us all worried for a second there. All good now? No cancer shit?”

“Nope, no cancer. All good.” Teddy smiled and looked at her husband who was sipping on a coffee. “Don't you have something to give to your brother?”

“Yeah. Got it right here.” Daryl pulled an envelope out of the inside pocket of his leather jacket and handed it to Merle.

“What's this? Am I getting served?” Merle frowned and took the envelope.

“Just look inside.” Daryl rolled his eyes. Underneath the table he was bouncing his foot nervously at a rapid pace, nearly banging his knee against the table in the process. 

Merle ripped open the envelope and pulled out one of those self-adhesive name tags. It said 'Hello, my name is Uncle Merle.' 

“The fuck is this? Why the fuck you givin' me a damn name tag?”

“You gotta keep that. Ya need it in September.” Daryl explained, trying to keep his voice steady. Now all of a sudden he was nervous about Merle's reaction. What if he was wrong and Merle wouldn't be happy?

“Or August, who knows...” Teddy cut in with a smile. Merle grew even more puzzled.

“What the hell are ya talkin' bout? This for some kinda meeting? They're anonymous you smart asses.”

Everybody at the table had to hold in their laughter at Merle's puzzlement and Hershel for once allowed Merle to use his quite colorful language without admonishing him.

“You're right, it is for a meeting, but that particular one is not anonymous. The person you're gonna meet should know who you are.” Teddy grinned, getting a kick out of seeing Merle this confused.

“You two settin' me up? This some kind of speed dating thing? And why the hell Uncle Merle? That's gon' scare the ladies right off.”

Teddy burst out laughing, infecting everybody else, when the pig snorts slipped out again. The image of Merle going to a speed dating event with this name tag, and the women's reactions to it were priceless. 

“Goddamn Merle, just turn the damn thing over.” Daryl chuckled. They had scanned the latest ultrasound picture and had made it smaller, so it would fit exactly onto the back of the name tag. Merle did what he was told and when he saw the picture of the little baby, the coin finally dropped.

“I'll be damned.” a smile started to form on his lips. “And here I thought ya were just shootin' blanks, baby brother.”

“Quite the opposite. I was on birth control and he still managed to knock me up. No blanks there.” Teddy smiled and intertwined her fingers with Daryl's. 

“Ha! That's the Dixon sperm for ya. Ain't nothin' gonna stop those little swimmers.” Merle grinned. He wasn't saying it, but he was damn proud of his little brother for that achievement. Seems like he'd made a man out of him after all. “Know what it is?”

“No, in a month probably.” Daryl replied. He was relieved that Merle seemed to be happy about being an uncle. It was like he had told Teddy, Merle wasn't letting on much, but the smile told Daryl everything he needed to know. He'd done good in Merle's book.

“Shit. Gonna go broke with buyin' everyone baby gifts. First them, now you two. Hey Lil' Bethy, you take yer time with poppin' one out, ya hear?”

“No worries, Merle. I'll have to find a husband first. You'll have enough time to start saving up again.” Beth laughed, earning a nod of approval from Hershel. 

The Greenes officially congratulated Teddy and Daryl on the baby news and Merle saw it as the perfect opportunity to celebrate and spend some quality time with his baby brother. He invited him back to his cabin for a couple of drinks.

“Come on, baby bro. If that ain't cause for celebration, I don't know what is.”

“Nah, I'm good.” Daryl declined, but Teddy wouldn't have it.

“No, you've wanted to celebrate since we found out. Now's the perfect time, baby. You go ahead and have some drinks with your brother. I can come and pick you up later. We can come and see the baby tomorrow. It's not good for Maggie and little John to have too many visitors today anyway.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely, go ahead. Spend some time with your brother and I'll spend some with my family.” Teddy encouraged him, and they both ended up doing just that.

###### ####### #######

Daryl and Merle went back to his cabin, while everybody else stayed in the cafeteria and had some lunch during their wait to see the baby. The Dixons would have their lunch in liquid form today. Half a bottle was quickly consumed and Daryl's stomach churned a little after the first couple of shots. He hadn't gotten lit in quite some time, his body wasn't used to it anymore.

“Knocked yer wife up, little brother. Damn, that's gotta feel good, right?”

“It does.” Daryl nodded. The cave man inside of him was quite pleased with himself and he grew even more pleased, the bigger Teddy's belly got. That he'd been stronger than birth control, that he'd planted his seed inside his wife's body and now got to see it grow,... it actually turned him on quite a bit. Not that he would tell that to his older brother.

“Yeah, I bet. Shit man, you're gon' be a daddy, son! Ya nervous at all?”

“A little, but not really. Think I'll do okay? Don't wanna be anything like him.” Daryl voiced his deepest, darkest fear: that he'll turn into a younger version of Will Dixon.

“I oughta beat your ass for even thinking that! Ain't nothin' like him. Never will be neither. You the sweet one, remember? Ain't got it in ya. Me? Yeah, maybe, but not you. Ya still cared for the bastard. Cried at his damn funeral while all I wanted ta do was take a gigantic dump on his grave and give him the finger. You're gonna do good, baby brother. You already know how it's done. The only thing that motherless bastard taught us by treatin' us the way he did.”

“That's true.” Daryl had to agree to the last statement. He gulped down another drink before he spoke again. “Jus' nervous that something's gonna go wrong, ya know? We never told ya 'bout Teddy's son, right?

“She's already got a kid?” Merle was surprised to hear that. In all the months they'd been together nobody had ever mentioned a son. “Nah, didn't know 'bout that. He livin' with his daddy?”

“He dead.” Daryl stated, his own words making him cringe. “Died when he was just two months old.”

“Shit, man. That's fucking rough. He been sick?” Merle was reminded of how shitty he had felt after finding out the little boy he had cared for had been stabbed. He couldn't imagine what it had to feel like to lose your own baby.

“Nope. Perfect health. Just died one night. Sudden Child Death or something like that.”

“Sudden Infant Death. Fuck man, that's just real fucked up. Don't know what's worse. Bein' prepared and bein' able ta say goodbye or losin' it out of the blue.” Merle noticed Daryl's surprised stare and scoffed. “What? I read. Had a lot of time to read back in the big house. Had all kinds of books in there... That shit's got ya both scared, huh?”

“Yeah. She had a nightmare just this morning. Kid comin' back to ask her why she let him die. Shook her up.”

“Of course it shook her up, dummy. Hell, I had nightmares bout Tommy and he wasn't even mine. Gotta take good care of her, baby brother. Gotta be the man and tell her everything's going to be unicorns and rainbows. Don't know much, but she's a good one. Good for you. From what I hear, you're good for her, too.”

“From what you hear? Hell is that s'pposed ta mean?”

“Talked to pretty boy a couple of times.”

“You mean Billy?”

“Yeah, who else would I mean? Hershel?” Merle scoffed. “Never liked him before, but I gotta say, he ain't too bad to have around here. He felt real shitty for what he'd done to your girl, but he deserved feeling shitty, I reckon. Had a couple of drinks with him one night. Told me how good it was you and your girl found each other. That ya changed each other for the better.”

“That right? What else he say?” Daryl was curious to learn how he had changed Teddy for the better. To him she had been perfect the day he'd met her. “How the fuck did I change Teddy?”

“Said she was way different. Not to him, but to other people. Closed off and cold or shit like that. Indifferent. Only people she had a smile for was the little kids at work, everybody else she didn't give no shit about. Barely ever talked to her momma, just wanted to speak to her daddy.” Merle recounted what Billy had told him, making Daryl frown with disbelief. He couldn't imagine Teddy being like that at all. She was always smiling, she cared and she was affectionate as fuck. He remembered what Bernadette had told him just yesterday, that he'd never met the woman Teddy had been before they had fallen for each other. Seems like Momma B had been right for once. He also remembered that she had called Teddy selfish a couple of months ago, that she only took and never gave. Must have been the old Teddy. Had he really been the one to change all that? Pride filled his chest as a little smile formed on his lips when he realized, that he had affected Teddy in the same way she had affected him. They had helped and healed each other without even realizing that they were doing it. 

For once he was proud of himself. Proud that he'd had the balls to not run away from this, but deciding that he was gonna get himself that woman and going through with it. Proud that he'd eaten that terror of a meatloaf so she'd go out with him. That was ultimately what had brought them together. Who knows how things would have gone if they hadn't gone into the woods that night? Would they still have gotten married and expected a baby? Daryl never wanted to find out. This, how it was right now, that's how it was supposed to be and there was no doubt about it.

####### ####### #######

Teddy had stayed with Billy, Maggie and little Johnny, long after everyone else had left. Billy had asked her to and Maggie was very okay with it. She was exhausted and it was difficult for her to hold her son, because of the incision and because she still felt a little shaky from the anesthesia. The c-section had been ten hours ago and she had tried to get up for the first time two hours ago, but she had puked and the nurses had sent her back to bed to rest for a while before she could try again. She dozed off constantly and she was relieved to have Teddy there to watch over her son a bit and keep Billy company.

“How are you feeling, Daddy?” Teddy asked her brother in a hushed tone, so she wouldn't wake up Maggie. 

“Relieved. Happy. Like this huge weight is off my shoulders now. Can't believe he's here.” he smiled down at his newborn son, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms. 

“Yeah, he couldn't wait to be with you guys, it seems.” Teddy smiled while she took a picture of the two with her phone. 

“I'm so glad that everything went well and that he's healthy. If he would have had lung problems or something else,... Fuck, don't even wanna think about it.”

“I know. He's doing great, just needs to gain some weight, get some more baby fat on him. Just keep him dressed nice and warm until he does and he'll be fine.” Teddy reassured him.

“I talked to Maggie earlier, she's a bit torn about the c-section thing. On one hand we're both glad that she had it, no contractions for hours or even days, no long wait to meet our son... but on the other hand she's so sad that she wasn't able to push him out herself and that she's not up and running around already. And she's pissed that she has no bragging rights now, you know?”

“I understand, but she'll be fine. She just needs some time to process this. A lot happened in a very little amount of time today. Her head is still a mess, and she's still weak from the c-section, just give her a couple of days and everything will be fine. And if it isn't and she has trouble dealing with it, we'll help her. And hey, she's got all the bragging rights in the world. She went through pregnancy with all the discomforts that come with carrying a child and she was a real trooper all the way til the end.”

“That's right.” Billy smiled proudly. “She's pretty fucking amazing, isn't she?”

“She is. She's awesome. You picked a good one.” Teddy smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

“I know. Only thing I did right. And now we have you, Johnny boy. Perfect little cowboy.” he lifted his son up a little and pressed his lips against the tiny forehead. It made Teddy's heart melt. She loved watching fathers being all sweet with their babies. She couldn't wait to see Daryl handling their own. Billy looked back up at her and smiled. “You haven't held him yet...”

“Oh,... yeah,... no. I'm good.” Teddy unconsciously took a step away from the chair Billy sat in and quickly crossed her arms over her chest. Billy understood her reaction, but he knew that she would have to get over it before she had her own baby. Now was exactly the right time to start getting her used to holding a “family baby”. 

“You telling me that you don't wanna hold my son?” Billy arched his eyebrow at her, but kept his tone light and humorous. 

“That's not it...” Teddy sighed and shifted her weight a couple of times while Billy carefully got up.

“I know. Come on,... I'm here, I got you. I will take him back if it gets too much, but you have to try, Teddy Bear.” he coaxed her gently while he took a step towards her.

“Oh my God,... I haven't heard that nickname in ages.” Teddy laughed, her eyes watering a little at the memories the name brought up.

“Yeah, it's been a while... now come on... here.” he carefully transferred his son into Teddy's arms and watched her closely for any signs of distress. Tears started to flow down her cheeks in a steady stream pretty quickly, once she had that warm, little bundle in her arms. It was tough to look at little Johnny, because he resembled Milo a lot, which wasn't much of a surprise. Most newborns kind of look alike and this one was part Robertson, just like Milo had been, so the family resemblance was definitely there. Her heart ached, but she fell in love with her nephew all the same.

“You okay? Want me to take him back?” Billy had his hands on her arms to steady her a little.

“No, I'm okay. It's hard, but like you said... I have to try.” Teddy settled John in her arms more comfortably and rocked him a little while he slept. “He's beautiful.”

“He is. Just perfect.” Billy agreed wholeheartedly with the pride of a new dad. “I love her even more for giving him to us both.”

“You're so cute.” Teddy laughed quietly. “Merle call you Pretty Boy a lot?”

“Yup, all the time.” Billy grinned. He hated the nickname, but nothing could bring down his mood today.

“Hmm,... kinda fitting if you ask me.”

“Hey.”

“What? You are very pretty.” Teddy giggled and looked down at her nephew. “Right Johnny? Your Daddy is a pretty son of a gun.”

“Stop. It's not like I spend two hours in front of the mirror every morning. I just roll out of bed and jump into my clothes like most other guys out there. Can't help the way I look.” Billy mock-scowled at her, but he was laughing and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I miss you.”

“Oh come on, getting sappy on me now?” 

“It's true. I had gotten used to having you around a lot again. It was nice. We're moving off the farm in a couple of months, you know?”

“Yeah, I heard. Staying in Ellijay though, right? Just gonna move straight into town?”

“Yes. I wanted to move back to Jasper, but Maggie didn't go for it. She wants her family close, can't blame her for that. They will be a great help. Not that our parents wouldn't be, but you know how Mom is. It's hard to put up with her every single day.”

“Oh yeah, you don't have to tell me. I know all too well how tough it is to put up with her even just once a week.” Teddy scoffed and gently adjusted Johnny's hat, which had slipped off his head a little while he had moved.

“Exactly. Still, I really miss having you close. Sure, it's not like we are hundreds of miles apart, but the drive still sucks. If we wanna go see Auntie Teddy we'll have to pack up the car first and take the drive instead of just strolling over to your apartment, you know? It would have been great for both our children to grow up together. To have them be able to play together every other day.”

“We'll still be close. We can manage to work something out, I'm sure. Don't worry too much. Oh, my phone. Gotta be Daryl.” Teddy handed Johnny back to Billy when her phone started buzzing. “Hey sweetie. Ready to come home? Alright, I'll be there in half an hour.” she hung up again and chuckled quietly. “Wow, he sounds drunk off his ass. Amazing that he was still able to call. We'll come by tomorrow, alright? Let Uncle Daryl meet his nephew when he's sober again.”

“Sounds good. Guess I'll try to get some shut-eye, too, now. Thanks for everything.” he smiled and kissed her cheek.

“Oh please, I didn't do anything.” she smiled and shouldered her purse.

“You held our hands when we were panicking.”

“It's what I'm here for.” she winked. “Get some sleep, Daddy.” 

####### ####### #######

Daryl had once told her, that he was a dick when he was drunk, but apparently that had only been half the truth; he seemed to be a horny drunk as well. 

She had been surprised, when he had initiated a kiss in front of his brother without a care in the world. She was a little embarrassed to admit that the rough kiss, that had tasted of whiskey and cigarettes, had made her insides quiver with lust so quickly, it was like a switch had been flipped. She had responded quickly and as a result, she'd had a hard time getting him off of her again and into the truck, and now he was distracting her, by firmly massaging her upper thigh suggestively while she was driving them home. 

“Pull over.” his low voice was sending shivers up and down her spine, making her clutch the steering wheel tighter.

“No. We can't. We gotta pick up Roxy from my parents, remember?”

“They can wait another 30 minutes, darlin'. Fucking want ya. Right now. Had a hard on with yer name on it since I heard yer voice on the phone.” 

She took a deep breath, trying to resist that gravelly voice of his, but who was she kidding? She wanted him, too, and he was right, her parents could wait another half hour. Teddy saw a dirt road coming up on the right and turned the car onto that road, driving a little further until they were shielded a bit by some trees. She killed the engine, and before the sounds of the motor had ceased completely, Daryl's lips were back on hers. 

He parted her lips with his tongue, letting it slide inside her mouth to mate with hers in a sensual glide of tongues. It was hot and deep and so erotic, that it made her pulse hammer in her clit with surprising force. Even drunk he was still the most amazing kisser on the planet. Damn him and his talented mouth.

His hands slipped underneath her sweater, squeezing her breasts and gently rubbing circles around her nipples through her bra. Teddy reached between them and fondled the bulge in his pants while he made her cry out into his mouth with his ministrations. It was too much, she needed him to touch her between her legs or she'd die from the intense need that was coursing through her veins.

“Scoot over!” she instructed him while she pushed him towards the passenger side door of his old truck. She managed to kneel on the bench seat and quickly opened her jeans and pushed them down to her knees along with her panties. “Now you!” 

Daryl fumbled with his belt for a moment, his alcohol-addled brain having some difficulty to make his fingers move as nimbly as they usually did, but he finally managed to unclasp it and yank open his fly. He released his hard cock from its confines and groaned in approval when Teddy went down on all fours with her head in his lap and licked his shaft from bottom to top. 

“Fuck yeah, darlin'. That's good. Don't stop, girl.” he groaned in ecstasy when she didn't waste any time and wrapped her lips around the head, sucking softly at first, but quickly increased the intensity of her suction. He wasn't in the mood for teasing anyway, they both wanted quick release.

He shifted his position a little, in order to reach better, when his hand slipped over her ass and down to her wet pussy. He dipped two fingertips inside of her, gathering some moisture before he slipped his fingers further down to her throbbing clit. He rubbed her quickly, back and forth and back and forth in a steady rhythm, making his wife squeal in pleasure around his cock. She moved her hips, grinding herself against his hand desperately, all the while moaning around her husband's glorious dick while she kept sucking him off. 

“Harder... harder darlin',... mmmm yeah that's a good girl. So fucking good.” he groaned and pushed his hips up a little as he felt his orgasm nearing. “Come on, babe. You're close. Can feel it. Lil' nubbin' of yers is tryin' ta hide again... always does when you're right about ta cum. You first, baby girl. Come one, cum for me.” he rubbed her harder and faster, and Teddy had to pull her mouth off of his cock so she wouldn't accidentally hurt him, while a fierce climax tore through her body. 

Daryl quickly picked up the slack when he lost the sensation of her hot, wet mouth. He wrapped his hand around his throbbing cock and stroked himself with quick jerky movements while Teddy came. He erupted with a long, drawn-out groan when he heard his name fall from her lips. He removed his fingers from her clit and let them slip inside of her, gently pumping them in and out while her walls were still constricting rhythmically around his digits, enjoying the evidence of the pleasure he'd given her, while he rode out his own release and its aftershocks. Teddy moaned softly, delighting in the feeling of him stroking her that way while she came down from her high. She rested her head on his thigh and carefully pulled his hand away from his slowly softening cock to grasp it in her own. She guided him back to her mouth, but instead of taking him in, she gave him tiny, little licks all around his tip, gently cleaning him of his essence he'd spilled. 

“Ooohhh,... shit... “ he moaned and hissed in surprise at her gentle teasing caresses on his over-sensitized cock. He was shaking and jerking when she kept doing it, the touch too intense to handle right now, but at the same time he craved more. She stopped eventually, when he'd gone completely soft, and sat up on her knees again. She pulled her jeans and underwear back up,buttoning it back up while she shared a loving, lazy kiss with him.

“Love you.” she whispered against his lips. “Let's get our girl and go home.”

####### ####### #######


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Things might or might not start to get kinky in this one. Really depends on your definition of kinky, I guess. Definite M-Rating in this chapter, folks.
> 
> Also, there will be about 24 pictures for this chapter on the story's tumblr. You'll see why so many while you're reading. So if you are interested check out our tumblr. Lost the link? The adress is: inthelittletownofjasper.tumblr.com
> 
> I love interacting with you guys, it's fun to get asks without any hate, lol. Funny how many people hate Teddy, but still keep reading all the way up to chapter 32. For the lovely anon who requested a cake, I think you might like this chapter.
> 
> Enjoy

Chapter 33

“Daryl, wake up.” Teddy poked his arm repeatedly in an attempt to rouse him from his deep sleep. He started to shift, his brows knit in a frown while he slowly blinked his eyes open.

“What's wrong? You okay?” he asked sleepily. He was squinting, trying to shield his eyes from the light of the nightstand lamp.

“I can't sleep. I'm hungry. I need you to go to Speed Burger and get me a foot-long hot dog.” 

He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, but her words made him freeze. He looked up at her, his expression showing that he wasn't quite sure if she was joking or not. He decided to go with joking and laid his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes again.

“Got a foot-long hot dog for ya right here.” he chuckled quietly while he prepared to go back to sleep.

“Very funny. It's big, but it sure as hell isn't a foot-long.” Teddy rolled her eyes. She was so hungry that she could eat an elephant, and she was not in the mood for jokes. “I really need a hot dog, Daryl. I can't sleep otherwise. I'm going crazy from the hunger.”

“Wait... You're serious?” He pushed up on his elbows and looked at her incredulously. “It's the middle of the night. You seriously want me to go and get ya a damn hot dog?”

“Yep.”

They looked at each other for a full minute while Daryl pondered if he was maybe still dreaming or if this was really happening. She had told him about crazy cravings, he had read about fathers-to-be going to the supermarkets or fast food joints at all kinds of ungodly hours to provide their expectant wives or girlfriends with what they craved, but never in a million years had he thought that he would be one of those men. He'd been pretty sure that he had been smart enough to stock their fridge and their cabinets with everything she might want. Apparently he'd forgotten about foot-long hot dogs.

“Alright...” Daryl accepted his fate with a deep sigh and swung his legs out of bed, to get up and get dressed. Once that task was achieved, he went over to her side of the bed and kissed her goodbye. “Anything else other than that hot dog?”

“Mmmm, yeah. A big iced tea.”

“We got that here.” he reminded her with a little grin on his lips. Now that he was fully awake, he saw some humor in the situation. This would be one of those war stories he would be able to share with Billy in the future.

“I know, but I want it in a plastic cup and with a straw. Pretty please?” she gave him puppy dog eyes. Daryl was never able to resist those. He leaned down to give her another kiss before he left, nodding after pulling away from her lips.

“Alright, hot dog and iced tea in a plastic cup. I'll be right back.” He grabbed his wallet and keys and left the apartment to drive to Speed Burger on East Church Street to get her what she wanted. Apart from the hot dog and the iced tea, he got a slice of apple pie for himself, because it looked delicious, and quite frankly, he freaking deserved it.

Half an hour later he and Teddy were in bed eating, and once again Daryl was amazed that she seemed to be inhaling her food these days. She had finished the tea AND the hot dog in less than five minutes and now she was eying the rest of his apple pie.

“Nuh-uh... no... that's mine, woman.” Daryl shielded his plate, even though she wasn't even trying to reach for it.

“Oh come on, I'm not THAT bad!” Teddy laughed and wiped her mouth on a napkin. “Just looks good. Is it good?”

“Mhm...” he grunted, while he chewed on the next bite. He shot her a suspicious glance when she scooted closer, making her laugh again, but on the inside she was a bit offended by his exaggerated behavior.

“Daryl!!! Please, I've never stolen food from you. Don't act like I do it all the time and let you starve to death.”

“With the way you been eatin' for three lately... gotta wonder... Got twins in there after all?”

Teddy's mouth dropped open and she gaped at him, not able to believe that he had just said that. Now she was more than just a little bit offended, now she was downright hurt.

“Hey, I'm kidding. I know ya don't do that. Want a bite?” he held his fork up to her lips to feed her some, but she declined. He cursed himself when he saw tears in her eyes right before she turned her head away.

“No thanks. I'm good.” she muttered and scooted back to her side of the bed, arranging her DreamGenii pregnancy pillow, so she could lay down again. When she spoke her voice was shaking and she clearly had to fight hard to keep the tears at bay. “I just wanted to thank you for being awesome and getting the food. So thanks for that.”

“Hey,... babe, come on. I was just joking around. Don't be mad.” Daryl quickly put his now empty plate on the nightstand and turned towards her while she got comfortable on her pillow.

“I'm not mad. I'm hurt.”

“I didn't mean it, darlin'. I'm glad you're givin' our baby what it needs.”

“Oh bullshit, don't tell me what you think I wanna hear. You know exactly that the 'eating for two'-shit is just a myth, because I told you a couple of weeks ago. This is not the baby, it's all me. Yes, that's right, your wife has turned into the fucking cookie monster, only that instead of cookies, I devour fucking everything in sight. Do you think I want to do that? I'm trying not to, but I simply can't help it. Nice to see that it is such a source of amusement to you.” Teddy sobbed and sniffled her way through her rant, making Daryl rake his hand through his hair in frustration. 

He wanted to fucking smack himself. He'd been doing so good up until now, why on earth did he have to make that stupid joke? He'd known that she was sensitive about that shit, what the hell had gotten into him? Must have been the fatigue, he reckoned. 

“I'm sorry. Okay? Babe?” he pressed himself against her backside and rubbed his right hand over her baby bump, hoping it would soothe her and make her calm down again. Instead of feeling her relaxing, he felt her tense, though.

“Don't fucking touch me or I'll bite your damn hand off.” she growled and roughly pushed his hand away. The action made his blood boil, the famous Dixon temper bubbling to the surface in record time at being rejected by her. 

'I love my wife, even though she is acting like a crazy bitch. I love my wife, even though she is acting like a crazy bitch...' Daryl chanted it over and over in his head while he took several deep breaths. He had to keep himself from yelling at her at all costs, knowing that with all the hormones in her body that were causing all kinds of crazy mood swings, a fight between them would very quickly turn nuclear. Also he knew that he had started this, albeit unintentionally, and he didn't really have the right to get mad at her for being hurt by his words, but her pushing him away like that really pushed his buttons.

“Fine! What-fucking-ever!” he spat and flopped on his back with more force than necessary, making sure she knew that he wasn't happy either. Even though he knew he was wrong, it didn't mean he would admit it. He might have come a long way, but he was still a little helpless against his own temper whenever it flared up.

####### ####### #######

“Be at the hospital at 6 pm?” Teddy asked, while she packed her snacks for work into a tote bag. She was 18 weeks pregnant now and today they would hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time and hopefully they would find out if she was carrying a boy or a girl.

“Yeah, I'll be there. We'll meet at the main entrance?” Daryl was standing behind her and cradling her bump in his hands before he had to let her go to work. Right after waking up everything had been back to normal, the stupid argument forgotten. At least that's what Daryl thought at this point.

“Exactly.” she turned her head a little and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Billy will be back to work today, expect him to be mopey.”

“Yeah, I'm countin' on it. Already complained yesterday 'bout how much it's gonna suck to be away from his family after spending 4 whole weeks with them.” They had been to the farm to check on Johnny and Maggie yesterday and Billy just kept sighing heavily every time work was mentioned. 

“Don't make too much fun of him.” Teddy smirked in amusement. “You might not fare much better once our baby is here.”

“Right.” he had to agree. That would probably turn out to be a bitch. On some days he had a hard time letting her walk out the door even now. Sure as hell wouldn't get easier to leave her AND the baby behind for the day. “Which reminds me,... shouldn't we start talking about that stuff now? How it's gonna work once our little turtle is here? We both work full time and I don't think either one of us can turn our jobs into part-time.”

“Yeah we can talk about that, but not right now, because I have to go to work, and so do you in half an hour. I'll see you tonight, baby. I love you.” she kissed him, then grabbed her stuff and was out the door while Daryl went back to finishing his coffee. Before he and Roxy left, he filled up Snoopy's drinking bowl with fresh water, gave him a treat and told him to be good and that they'd see him tonight.

What Daryl didn't know was, that Snoopy was going to see his momma during her lunch break. She would return home and prepare a surprise for Daryl as quickly as she could, before going back to work. Daryl might have thought that she had forgotten all about his bad joke about her eating for three, but Teddy hadn't, and she would make him pay in their own special way.

####### ####### #######

Daryl couldn't wait for the manual exam to be over, he wanted the doctor to finally start with the ultrasound, so he could see how much his little turtle had grown in the past four weeks. They were in a different room this time, this one had a big flat-screen TV hanging on the wall opposite the exam table. At his questioning glance Teddy explained that the TV was hooked up to the ultrasound machine and that they would be able to watch the whole thing this time. That news made him even more impatient and he kept shifting his weight the whole time the doctor was checking the cervix and palpating her belly. 

“Would you stop? That's really annoying.” Teddy laughed and squeezed the hand that was holding hers. She understood that he was impatient and nervous, but all that nervous energy right next to her was driving her insane.

“Sorry.” he mumbled around the thumb he was chewing on.

“Alright, so far so good. Let's take a look at your baby now, shall we?” Dr. Hainesworth removed her latex gloves and threw them into the trashcan on her way to turn on the big TV on the wall. Then she sat down in front of the ultrasound machine, squirted some gel on Teddy's belly and went to work. 

The image on the screen was shaky and unclear, while she moved the wand around in the gel on Teddy's skin, but then after a couple of seconds the image became clearer and Daryl saw his child in motion for the very first time. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly as he watched his little turtle trying to stretch out its legs in the tight confines of its current home.

“Holy shit,... “ he was speechless and absolutely mesmerized. 

“He or she is quite active. Do you feel it move yet?” the doctor asked Teddy.

“Yes, since early last week.” Teddy replied while her gaze flicked back and forth between the screen and her husband's face. He was so in love with that baby, it was clearly evident in the expression on his face. 

“Getting tight in there, huh? It had more space the last time.” he mumbled and started smiling, when he noticed something. “That the heart?” he pointed toward the black spot on the baby's torso that seemed to be blinking.

“Exactly.” The doctor smiled and pointed some other things out. “That's the heartbeat, this is the spine, the femur, oooh that was a big kick.”

“Little turtle's a kickboxer, darlin'.” Daryl was smiling so big that it made Teddy tear up a little. She loved seeing him this happy and it always touched her deeply.

“Yay. That's gonna be fun when it's bigger.” Teddy smiled, before she looked at Dr. Hainesworth. “Can you try to get a look between those legs now?”

“Of course. I think we might have a good chance and finding out the gender today. Let's see...” she moved the wand over to the right side of Teddy's belly and started searching for the baby's genitals.

Daryl squinted his eyes at the screen, not quite sure what he was seeing right now, as the angle had changed drastically and he no longer saw the whole baby. 

“What are we lookin' at?” he finally asked, when he wasn't quite able to figure it out.

“That's the back of its legs. Now the soles of the feet,... thigh, thigh...-” Teddy explained and pointed at the screen, before she stopped short and laughed a little. “And there it is...”

“What? Where's what?” Daryl took a step closer to the screen, trying to figure out what she meant. “I don't see nothin'.”

“Exactly.” She pulled his hand up and pressed her lips against the back of it. “Your little turtle is a girl, Daddy.”

His head whipped around to look at her, his astonished expression quickly turning into the biggest smile she had ever seen him sport. “Really? A lil' girl?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion.

“No doubt about it.” Dr. Hainesworth cut in. “Congratulations. A happy, healthy and quite active baby girl. She is measuring about 2 weeks smaller, though, but I don't think that's cause for concern. You and your husband are not what I would call big-boned, and you have a pretty small frame, plus sometimes the measurements are off, so nothing to worry about at this point.

“At this point? What about the future? She gon' be okay?” Daryl didn't like hearing that their baby was smaller than it should be. He was still set on her being big and chubby when she was born, even though Teddy pleaded for the opposite.

“There's no way to tell right now. Don't worry, Mr. Dixon, some babies are just petite, while others are bigger or average. Like I said, your wife is a bit on the small side as well and you don't have the most imposing stature either. I'm sure your daughter will be fine.” Dr. Hainesworth explained, almost making Teddy laugh at the 'imposing stature' comment, because of the way Daryl's eyes had narrowed when she had said it. He just grunted and let his natural scowl come to his face again, while the doctor pressed some keys on the keyboard of the machine. “Let's listen to your daughter's heartbeat now.”

That placated him again and he gave Teddy a little smile, when she squeezed his hand. “Don't get startled, honey. It's twice as fast as our heartbeat.”

“I know. Remember you tellin' me that it sounds like a horse running.” This time it was Daryl who pulled her hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it. A minute later the sound came on and after some white noise, they heard the faint galloping sound of their baby's heartbeat. Dr. Hainesworth turned up the volume so they could get a clearer audio and let the future parents listen in peace for a little while.

“Sound good?” Teddy asked in a whisper and stroked her fingers over Daryl's cheek. He had leaned down and supported himself on his forearms right next to her ribs.

“Sounds perfect.” he mumbled with a smile, and leaned in to drop a kiss on her lips. “Best sound ever.”

####### ####### #######

“What's this?” Daryl frowned upon discovering a freshly baked pound cake, still sitting in the cake pan on top of the kitchen counter when they got home “Yer momma been here?”

“Nope. Yer wife been here.” Teddy imitated his accent while she deposited her bags on the counter right next to the cake.

“What?” 

“I was here during my lunch break and made this for you.”

“You made a cake in just an hour?”

“Five minutes of throwing it all together, forty-five minutes in the oven. Done.” Teddy explained casually with a shrug of her shoulders.

“But why? What the fuck have I-... oh fuck me...” he sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose when the events of last night came back to him. Seems like the little argument hadn't been forgotten at all.

“Yeah...” Teddy got out a plate and proceeded to get the cake out of the pan and put it on the plate, before she got him a cake fork. “Since you love your cakes and pies so much that you think you gotta hide them from me, because apparently I am eating for three, I made this one especially for you. All yours. Dig in.”

“Oh come on, Teddy. It was just a fucking joke. A bad one, yeah, I'll give ya that, but it don't deserve punishment. I said I was sorry. I still went out and got you your damn hot dog, that should cancel out that stupid joke.” Daryl tried to argue his way out of eating the cake. It looked good, but where her cooking was concerned, looks were VERY deceiving.

He turned very still when Teddy spoke again. Her voice was quiet and soft, she sounded sad even. It told him that he was in deep shit. They were passionate people and their fights were usually loud and explosive, but short. They worked things out quickly, it just unloaded in sharp, fast bursts of anger, and as soon as they had gotten it out in the open, things were okay again. But with her voice and demeanor like it was right now, he knew this wasn't one of their usual things.

“Yeah, maybe, but this will teach you that you should NEVER imply to your pregnant wife that she's fat. Not even in jest. You might have thought of it as a joke, Daryl, and I admit, that with the mood swings and hormones and everything I'm emotionally crazy and a bit unstable maybe, but the fact is that that little joke of yours really hurt me. While certainly unpleasant, I can take those kinds of comments from my mother or anybody else out there, but not from you. You know how it is? You can tell me that you think I'm still pretty a thousand times and I don't fully believe you, but I think it's sweet of you to say anyway. But tell me something like last night just once, and I firmly believe it to be your true opinion of me. The bad thing is that you might not have meant it, but it's in my head now and I can't get it back out. Probably not for a while. Do you know how often I tugged at my damn clothes today? Trying to hide how my waist has filled out? Do you know that I counted how many damn cherry tomatoes I had for a snack earlier? You're my husband and I wanna be perfect for you, you know that. Unfortunately, these next couple of months I can't be and it's a little troubling for me already to look like this, so your little comment really hit home.”

His heart sank, his stomach dropped and he felt like the biggest jerk on the planet. He hadn't even thought about it like that. He'd really meant it as a joke. He was happy that she wasn't starving herself and that she indulged her cravings every once in a while. He loved the way she looked now. She looked so healthy and nurturing, everything was round and soft, and she truly was fucking glowing. She had him go weak in the knees every time he laid eyes on her now. His heart was bursting with love and pride every time he looked at her baby bump, knowing that she was carrying their child, letting it develop and grow inside her body, taking all the nightmares, the pains and all those damn tests ,where they poked and prodded her, in stride, knowing that she wasn't enduring all of it just for their daughter and for herself, but for him, too, and instead of telling her all the good things he was thinking, he had nothing better to do than to tell her she was eating enough for three fucking people? He deserved to choke on that damn cake.

“Gimme the fork.” he reached his hand out toward her and plucked the silver cake fork out of her grasp. Teddy took hold of his wrist before he sat down at the table, and pulled him closer.

“I have a hard time explaining this,... I don't mean to make you feel bad about yourself, you're not this horrible ogre, who constantly puts women down or something,... I'm not mad,... “she stammered her way through it, not really finding the right words to explain to him what she meant. “I'm aware that you are not a macho asshole and that you weren't completely serious last night, but it still pushed the wrong button and I just wanted to communicate to you that I was hurt by it. I know that a lot of things are changing and that I'm not the most attractive sight to look at during meals these days, but please don't tell me, okay? It's okay for me to ASSUME that you might think like that about me every now and then these days, but I don't want to KNOW for certain that you do.”

“I don't. Think that, I mean. Told ya I was gonna feed ya good, didn't I? I want ya nice 'n round, 'cause it means our baby will be, too. At least that's how it works in ma head. Gonna kick it up a notch, now that our little turtle's smaller than she should be. Gonna make her catch up.” he promised fiercely and completely serious.

“Over my dead body.” Teddy laughed. “It doesn't really work like that, baby.”

“Tough! Imma try anyway.” a little smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, when he saw her smiling again. He jerked the arm she was holding closer to his body, making her follow, and once she was firmly pressed against his front and tightly ensconced in his embrace, he kissed her deeply, making her moan and clutch the front of his shirt in her fists. “Hell woman, I still get a boner just from hearing yer voice. Don't that tell ya enough? Can't even begin to count how many times we fucked in the past couple weeks. Fuckin' crazy 'bout ya. Don't listen to ma damn bullshit. Ya know I'm a dumb fuck sometimes. Bein' funny ain't ma strong suit, I reckon.”

“Certainly wasn't last night.” she giggled and leaned her forehead against his shoulder for a moment. “I feel bad, you know?”

“Why?”

“Because you're so awesome otherwise. I mean, you went out in the middle of the night to get a hot dog for me. Who does that? I feel bad for being so hyper-sensitive about this, but it just really hurt and I wanted you to know, so you wouldn't do it again.”

“I get it. It was shitty of me to act like you'd steal the pie and all that crap. I deserve some cake.” he kissed her forehead, then he looked over at the table with a big sigh. “So how much I gotta eat of that thing?”

“I don't know, half?” she shrugged nonchalantly.

“HALF???” he shouted in shock, making her jump, but also laugh.

“It's not that much. What would that be, like four slices?”

“Half a damn cake is more than four fucking slices, woman. Or is it gonna be slices for giants 'gain? Like yer Christmas cookies?” he argued loudly, while he stemmed his hands into his hips.

“Hey, those were delicious!” Teddy shouted right back, mirroring his pose.

“Yeah, if you like having your teeth rot upon contact because it's so fucking sweet, then I guess ya could call it delicious.” 

“You're an ass!”

“Yeah, but ya agreed to marry this ass on that same day I dissed your cookies!”

“Eat your damn cake, Daryl!” 

They stared each other down, but amusement was mixed into the heat of their gazes. Before long both of them broke out into a smirk. Yeah, this was more like them. They were back to normal, but that didn't mean that Daryl would get out of eating the cake and they both knew it.

Teddy went to the fridge and poured herself some juice before she joined Daryl at the table. He tried to cheer himself on by telling himself that her cookies hadn't been extremely bad, just way too sweet, so maybe the cake wouldn't be too bad.

“Can't get any juice to wash it down, I s'ppose?” he stared at her glass of juice with envy, and sighed when she shook her head no. “That's what I thought.” 

Finally he took his first bite, and he got what he deserved; he almost choked on it. It was so dry he felt like he was trying to swallow sand. He started coughing, which did not help in getting the stuff down, but did the opposite, he kept coughing it back up. Maybe he should still have considered it a blessing, because it distracted him from the taste for a minute.

“Good Lord! Did you make this out of sand? Is this fucking sand?” his voice was scratchy and hoarse, even more so than usual, because of the coughing. Teddy had mercy and offered him her juice, which he greedily gulped down. “Fuck! That'll teach me for sure.”

“That's what you said about the meatloaf, but yet, here we are.” Teddy smirked. “But I'm not a monster. Five bites, okay? Just like back then.”

“Fine.” Daryl took the second bite into his mouth and chewed slowly. Teddy watched his eyes slowly narrow in a frown. He spoke with his mouth full, not daring to swallow. “Teddy, what eggs you use for this?”

“Those over there on the counter.” she pointed to the egg carton that sat next to the fridge. Daryl bolted from his chair and pulled the lid from the trashcan. He threw the lid to the floor before he crouched over the trash can and started gagging and coughing.

“God Teddy! Those were rotten!” he bit out between dry-heaving and trying to get all of the cake back up and out of his system.

“What? Why in the world do we keep rotten eggs in the kitchen?”

“I wanted to throw them out this morning and forgot. I told ya not to go near 'em.”

“Shit, you're right. Guess I forgot about that.” she really had forgotten about it. She hadn't used the rotten eggs on purpose. “Oh honey, I'm really sorry. That wasn't supposed to happen. But they didn't smell bad, are you sure they were rotten?”

“Have some cake and then you tell me!” he spat and grabbed a paper towel to wipe his mouth. “Goddamn, you tryin' ta poison me?”

“I honestly forgot. I have pregnancy-brain, remember? I'm sorry.” she was giggling despite feeling sorry. She found the situation to be insanely funny.

Daryl glowered at her for a moment, but his anger didn't last long. He was in too good of a mood in general today and he probably had the rotten eggs and sand cake coming. He refilled her juice and took a big sip, before he leaned into her and kissed her.

“We good now?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Good. Let's order in. Don't feel like cookin' after that.” he shuddered and quickly let her go to dump the cake into the trash before she had any other ideas about him eating more of that thing.

Teddy told Daryl to order for them and get his cute little ass on the couch and relax while she walked Roxy. She was tired as hell and her feet ached, but it was the least she could do for feeding him rotten eggs. She really felt bad about that. When she got back the food had already been delivered. They ate in companionable silence on the couch while Sons of Anarchy was on. During the end credits, she felt Daryl's bare foot nudging hers, and when she looked up at him, she found him smiling happily at her.

“Know what?” he asked and seemed almost giddy.

“What?” Teddy was curious as to what had him so excited.

“We're gon' have a little girl.” 

“We sure are, honey.” She had to fight the urge to cry. He was so goddamn happy, it was unbelievable. She had seen a lot of men who were about to be first time fathers, but she can't remember ever seeing one of them being as happy as Daryl about it. He took happy to a whole new level these days. She watched him shift and kneel on the couch before he crawled over to her end and pushed himself between her and the back of the couch, pulling at her until she was between his legs with her back resting against his chest and he was able to cradle her belly in his hands. 

“You gon' be okay with that? Ya wanted a boy.”

“Of course I'm gonna be okay with that. I admit, there was a teeny tiny moment where I felt a bit like 'oh...', but that went away quickly. She's healthy and that's all that counts. I'll have to get me some nerves of steel though.” Teddy smiled and tickled her fingertips along the back of his hands.

“What? Why?”

“Like I said, mothers and daughters tend to have more complicated relationships than mothers and sons. At least in most cases. And she is so going to be a Daddy's girl, I just know it. You'll spoil her rotten and she'll adore you like you're a hero from a fairy tale. You'll be her hero. God, and between you, Uncle Merle, Uncle Billy and Grandpa Gerald, she'll have all of you wrapped around her little finger the moment she's born and I'll have a hard time going up against that.” Teddy smiled, but teared up again when she realized what would be in store for their daughter, once she was born: more love than she could ever wished for. 

“Hey,.. What are those tears for? Not happy after all, huh?” Daryl felt a stab of disappointment tear through his chest, but Teddy quickly shook her head.

“No, no, no, I'm really happy. Our daughter's gonna grow up with so much love around her. So many big strong men around her, who'll love the shit out of her and protect her with all they have... I just realized that and it's a beautiful image. That's why I'm crying. Happy tears.”

“Gotta start thinking 'bout names now. Gotta start buying some pink shit. Decide which room she'll get. Talk about how we gonna do this after she's born. Gotta talk about the birth, too. Gotta pick godparents. Gotta get a new car. Gotta choose a good car-seat. But I need a pick-up for huntin' and shit. Damn, can't afford one. Ain't gonna get anything for my old truck. Maybe we should sell yours, too and have just one family car.”

“Slow it down, honey. There's still time. Don't have to decide on everything today. And only one car is not an option. We need two. I need to be able to drive when I get called out to an emergency.”

“Ain't gonna be possible anyway when ya have a baby at home. Can't do that emergency shit no more. Not with a little girl at home. That's your emergency then.”

“It's part of the job, Daryl. We'll have to figure something out. Just don't start to stress out now, okay? It's still about five months until she's born. Lots of time to think about what we're going to do. Tomorrow we're going to meet the doula I told you about and then we can start talking about the birth options.”

“Why in the world do ya need one of those anyway? You know all about that giving birth stuff.” Daryl had just gotten used to Dr. Hainesworth, he didn't know why they had to bring somebody else into the fold, so to speak.

“Because even though I might know about all that giving birth stuff, I still can't do it alone, Daryl. I need someone there who's experienced and who I trust. Kelly is very good, I've worked with her before and I've recommended her to a lot of patients. It will be good to have her there.”

“But ain't she supposed to come here? Why we gotta drive to Ellijay to see her? 'Specially if ya already know her.”

“Because she's got kind of like her own little practice in her house, where she holds birthing classes and prenatal yoga classes. I'm curious and wanna take a look around. Maybe sign up for something. I haven't really been exercising enough. Gotta stay in good shape or labor will be a bitch. Don't pout. Day after that we can start talking about all those things you wanna talk about, alright?” Teddy kissed the pout from his face. She didn't quite understand why he had such a problem with even female doctors seeing her 'down there'.

“Fine. Anything ya want, girl.” he relented. It wasn't really his decision to make anyway.

“All I want right now is sleep.” Teddy yawned and peeled his hands away from her belly so she could get up from the couch.

“Off to bed, then. Go. I'll take care of everything.”

“I know, baby. You always do.”

####### ####### #######

“Daryl? Wake up, baby.”

“Oh God,... lemme guess. Hot dog again?” he grumbled and groaned while he turned on his back.

“Kind of.” she grinned and let her hand slide down his chest, over his belly and then lower, underneath the blanket. “This time you won't even have to leave the bed, though.”

“Damn...” his eyes shot open when he felt her warm hand wrap around his cock, slowly stroking it to life. “Really?”

“Yeah. Need you, honey.” she whispered against his belly, where she was busy kissing and nibbling on him. 

“Take this off.” he tugged at the strap of her nightshirt. Teddy sat up on her knees next to him and pushed the straps down her shoulders, pulling the fabric down a little to reveal her breasts. “Nah,... all the way off. Wanna see all of ya. Don't go fucking shy on me now, woman.” he growled while his eyes feasted on the sight of her full mounds. It made his dick stand at attention within seconds. Teddy pulled her nightshirt off all the way and let it drop to the floor on his side of the bed before she straddled him, pinning his erection between her wet core and his belly, immediately starting gyrating her hips to rub herself against his hard length.

Daryl hissed when she slid her swollen nub over his sensitive tip repeatedly, his hands slid up her thighs to place themselves on her hips, telling her without words to keep doing it. His erection was parting her folds perfectly, giving them both some nice friction, with her own arousal keeping things deliciously slippery. 

“How the fuck are ya so wet already? Ain't even touched ya.”

“Dreamed about you. It was a little weird, but kinda hot.” she breathed with her eyes closed as she rotated her hips over him, causing him to buck up against her.

“Tell me 'nd don't stop fucking moving.” he groaned. 

“You were some kind of rich guy. You lived in a mansion. You had short hair and you wore a suit. Looked just as good as you do right now. I was dusting the shelves, guess I must have been your maid. I felt intimidated by you. You watched me closely the whole time. You were undressing me with your eyes, making me squirm. You made me so nervous, I dropped a vase.” Teddy let the images of her dream play out in front of her inner eye once more while she recounted it to her husband. 

“Dropped something, huh? Did I punish ya for it?” he asked under his breath, letting his fingertips teasingly glide over her shoulders and down to her breasts.

“Yes. You beckoned me to come walking over to you. When I stood in front of you, you grabbed me and put me across your knee. You pushed my skirt up and my underwear down, then you rubbed my ass with your big, strong hand for a moment, then you spanked me.”

“Like this?” his right hand rubbed over her ass in a circle, right before he lightly smacked it. Teddy moaned and pushed herself down on him hard, grinding her clit against his hard-on.

“Yeah, just like that. Little harder... Kept doing it for a while. Thought it would be punishment for me, but it wasn't. 

“Nah, it wasn't. 'Cause you're a dirty girl, who likes getting spanked. Bet you were drippin'. Jus' like you are now.” he rasped and squeezed her ass in his hands. “Bet your little pussy was achin' for a little spanking as well.”

“It was aching for all sorts of things.” Teddy smiled and let her own hands slide over his belly and had her fingers tease along his hip bones, knowing it was one of his hot spots, that gave him goosebumps when she licked or lightly stroked him there. “You found out pretty soon that you weren't exactly punishing me, so you tried something else.”

“What was that?” 

“Backdoor play...” Teddy breathed, lusty tremors making her shudder when she felt his hand inch closer to her crack. They had started exploring it a couple of weeks ago and Daryl was pretty damn ecstatic, that Teddy actually enjoyed it. They hadn't gone all the way, yet, but they were slowly working towards it. Teddy knew that she liked it from her self-exploration a couple of years ago, but what had surprised her was how intense her orgasms were when Daryl's fingers penetrated her that way. She was sure that he'd probably made her head explode once they'd do it with his dick penetrating her, especially now with all that pregnancy-related increased sensitivity.

“Is that right? Did I take your ass, baby girl?” Daryl grinned and started to shift a little. He withdrew his hands from her body and moved his pillow up higher, closer to the headboard. Then he grabbed her pillow and put it on top of his. He sat up and scooted back until he was in the right position to lean back comfortably against the headboard. 

“You wanted to... Woke up just before your finger went in.” Teddy replied and went willingly, when he reached for her. She straddled him, letting his hand on her hips guide her. He pushed two fingers into her wet heat, causing her breath to hitch in the sweetest way while she reflexively clutched his shoulders to steady herself. He withdrew his fingers soon after, but quickly replaced them with his cock. Teddy felt the tip prodding her entrance just before she felt the hand on her hip exert some pressure, urging her to sink down on him.

She did so with a blissful sigh, relishing in feeling him fill her up inch by inch. It simply never got old. She ground himself down on him hard, trying to get him even deeper, even though he was already buried inside of her to the hilt. The hand on her hip moved up her back, settling between her shoulder blades and exerting gentle pressure once more. Teddy opened her eyes and shared a small, intimate smile with her husband, while she carefully lowered her torso to rest against his. Being mindful of her baby bump, she rested herself on her forearms against his chest, so her belly wouldn't get smushed. Daryl reached over to his right and pulled open the small drawer of his nightstand to get out the lube he'd need. Teddy watched him take it out of the drawer, but before she let him open the small tube filled with the clear gel, she craned her head up towards his to kiss him. 

Daryl dropped the lube on the mattress, using his hand to cradle the back of her head, while he deepened the kiss. There were no tongues involved, but still the kiss left them with raw and intense emotions making their toes curl, as it was full of love, trust and intimacy. Teddy clenched her muscles around him, making him groan and laugh quietly.

“Behave, girl.” She giggled in response and leaned back in, letting her nose touch his, nuzzling each other for a moment, before Teddy rested her cheek against his shoulder. “That's right, darlin', you relax and let me take good care'a ya.” 

He proceeded to squirt some lube onto the tip of his right middle finger, while Teddy wriggled her hips a little, enjoying having his length all the way inside of her. Daryl placed little kisses on her forehead as his left hand squeezed her right butt cheek and pulled on it a little, spreading her crack until his lubed up finger had reached its destination. He started circling the tight entrance gently, spreading the lube around all the while getting her relaxed. His free hand softly stroked her body. He caressed her back, smoothed his hand over her side, rubbing the side of her swollen belly, before he moved it back over her buttocks and gently raked his blunt nails up her back, making her squirm and shiver, while quiet moans erupted from her mouth.

After long minutes of just caressing her gently, he moved his finger to rest the tip directly on top of her puckered hole, moving it back and forth and in little circles with just the tiniest bit of pressure. He knew she was ready for him to go further, when she started moving and pushing back against his finger, at the same time starting to ride his cock. He took a deep breath, willing himself to keep his bearings just a minute longer. It wasn't easy, because this has always been one of his biggest sexual fantasies, but the fear of hurting her got him to hold on to his control.

“Ready?” he asked in spite of her showing him, wanting absolute reassurance that she was ready for him to push inside.

“Please!” she moaned and pushed against his finger once more, then holding perfectly still, when she felt his middle finger slowly pushing past the tight ring of muscles. She shuddered and whimpered in pleasure when she felt him slide into her deeply, until he couldn't go any further. “Move it, please. Fuck my ass, please baby.”

Daryl swallowed hard at her words, forcing himself not to go crazy and fuck the living daylights out of her right away. Having your wife beg for you to do that, it's gotta be every red-blooded man's dream. He gripped the back of her head, making her look up at him. He lowered his head, so their lips could meet, and he kissed her passionately, plundering the depths of her mouth with his tongue. They didn't battle for dominance, he was conquering her with every stroke of his hot, skilled tongue. He started moving his finger, pulling out almost all the way before pushing it back in deeply, developing a steady rhythm, that had her eyes roll back in her head as she squirmed and ground herself on his cock and his finger alike.

“Yer drivin' me crazy, woman. Yer being such a good little dirty slut for me. Beggin' me ta fuck your ass,.. know what that does ta me? You're gonna cum nice and hard for me, ya hear? Gonna make it good.” he promised as he bent his knees to get some leverage and started moving his throbbing hard-on in and out of her, matching the thrusts of his finger.

“Oh God, yes... oh God, baby... oh God... Daryl...” her breathy moans grew louder and louder with every thrust. In the back of his mind he apologized to the neighbors, because it was just after 2 am, but their lust didn't give a fuck about what time it was, and frankly, neither did he.

“Yeah, ya like that? Like having me finger your ass, while I fuck your sweet little pussy?” his rough, breathless voice in her ear was only turning her on more and she started to move frantically on top of him to meet his thrusts. Daryl stopped moving his finger as their movements got faster and harder, but he kept it deeply imbedded inside of her tight passage, while they fucked like their lives depended on it.

“Yes, oh fuck yes.” she wailed as he hit all the right spots inside of her with his fast, hard strokes. Suddenly she looked up at him with her eyes wide and with so much surprise in her expression, that he would have laughed, if it had been in any other kind of situation. “I'm cumming!”

He was surprised as well, because she'd never been able to cum without having her clit played with, but the pleasure that spiked through him at her statement, drowned out everything else. Before he could say anything he felt her go completely still again, but this time instead of being relaxed, her whole body locked up tight. She squeezed her eyes shut, her fingernails digging painfully into his chest as her mouth opened in a silent scream. A second later, he was gone as well, when her walls tightened around him, squeezing both, his finger and his cock so hard that it made his brain melt. He grunted out his pleasure, head pressing back against the headboard, when he jerked his hips up a couple of more times until his body sank back down on the mattress, completely spent. His eyes had fallen shut when his climax hit, but they snapped back open when he heard her moan loudly, definitely waking the neighbors this time. It felt like a delayed reaction, but then he realized, that her body was still jerking and her pussy was still clamping down on him.

When her body finally relaxed she was slumped against him and panting like she had run a marathon, and Daryl couldn't help the smug grin that had appeared on his face.

“Darlin'? Still with me?” he called out to her with a little chuckle, while he gently pushed some hair out of her face, that was sticking to her wet temples and forehead. He'd removed his finger, while his dick was still inside of her, enjoying being close a little while longer. He rubbed her backside softly and dropped sweet kisses on her forehead and the crown of her head during her return to planet Earth.

“What the fuck was that?” she gasped. “Never... ever... fucking came like that.”

“Yer welcome.” he grinned and laughed when she slapped his chest weakly.

“Arrogant bastard.”

“Hey, now. No reason for name calling.” he admonished her jokingly and wrapped both his arms around her cooling body to hold her close.

“Yeah yeah,... “ she murmured sleepily. “Guess you earned bragging rights. It was amazing.”

“Damn right it was. You're fucking sexy. So hot when ya lose control.” he smiled at her when she rested her chin on the back of her hand and looked at him. The fingers of his left hand traced along her temple and the shell of her ear, while he tucked a strand of hair behind it, then he cradled her jaw and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “Love of ma life, Teddy. Love ya so much it makes my heart hurt, girl.”

He rarely ever said anything like that, but when he did, she knew that it came from the bottom of his heart and that he had to let it out, because he was so overcome with emotion that it threatened to consume him in that moment. Yeah, her gruff little redneck was just a big emotional softie underneath his tough shell, which was constantly decorated with mean scowls and ready to kill looks.

“I love you more.” she giggled and kissed him soundly.

“Not possible.” he grinned and placed a peck on the tip of her nose.

“It is, I have two hearts beating inside of me right now, remember?”

“Yeah, guess that's true. Still, I'm bigger, got more room for love.” he winked and Teddy burst out laughing, because his statement about being bigger reminded her about what the doctor had said earlier.

“Bigger, yeah, but not of the most imposing stature.” she laughed and earned herself a poke in the ribs.

“That was fucking insulting. What was it supposed ta mean anyway? I ain't small!”

“No you're not. I don't think she meant it as an insult. You have a nice built and broad shoulders, but we both know that you are not overly tall. You're not over 6 feet, you're not a giant. I think that's what she meant. You're not small in any way, honey.”

“Damn right I ain't. She's gonna be okay, though, right?”

“I'm sure she will be.” Teddy reassured him, even though she was never so sure herself. She slowly sat up and looked down at her protruding belly and rubbed it affectionately.

“Daddy?”

“What?”

“We're hungry.” Teddy laughed when Daryl groaned and hid his face behind his hands.

“What do the ladies want?”

“Watermelon?”

“You askin' me?”

“Watermelon.”

“Thank God.” he sighed in relief, because that they actually had in the fridge. Even though he had to admit, that after this kind of wake-up call, he would have made her a freaking pot roast if she had asked. “Watermelon, comin' right up.”

####### ####### #######

The next evening after work they drove to Ellijay, so Teddy would be able to satisfy her curiosity and take a look at the setup that doula chick had at her house. Daryl really wasn't feeling it. After two nights with very little sleep, all he wanted to do was just veg out on the couch and call it a night early. Who knew what kind of cravings would keep his wife (and subsequently him) from sleeping this coming night.

“Okay, turn right there.” Teddy said, after she had studied the directions once more.

“Ya sure? That road's leading into the Chattahoochee National Forest.”

“It's the directions she gave me. It has to be right. See the sign? Skyview Drive, that's where she lives.” Teddy pointed at the street sign, before he made the turn.

“Alright.” he nodded, but on the inside he called the doula a lucky bitch for being able to live there. It was beautiful out there. Nothing but green and tons of trees. 

“We have to drive down this street almost all the way. She said it's the second to last house on the right, before the Lake Dakwa Dam.”

“You telling me that chick lives right across from Lake Dakwa AND in the damn Chattahoochee National Forest? Lucky bitch.” This time he said it out loud and he couldn't help the jealousy tinging his voice. 

“Guess so.” Teddy murmured absently and kept watching out for the right house. It wasn't easy, because they really were in the middle of the Forest and the houses were far apart, hard to recognize which one would be the second to last. “There! That's gotta be it. Holy shit.”

Daryl turned into the driveway and killed the engine while he looked around, equally astonished. A strange feeling settled itself over him as he walked around the car to help his wife getting out. Her expression was mirroring his own, both their jaws were on the ground as they stared at their surroundings. In front of them was a really charming and quite big cabin, with absolutely stunning and beautiful landscaping surrounding it and even without walking to the back of the house it was obvious, that she had the damn woods in her backyard and nobody around to bother her. Daryl startled when Teddy emitted a very unladylike snort.

“That bitch is living OUR dream!” she almost shouted, while Daryl looked at her comically. His heart swelled with pride, because she had said 'our' dream and not 'your' dream. She wanted this as much as him and she would never know how happy that made him. “Okay dear husband of mine, take a good mental picture, because I want our future house to look exactly like this. Exact replica, just so you know.”

“Got it.” Daryl simply said. He probably wouldn't be able to get the image of this beautiful little slice of heaven out of his head for years to come.

Kelly Marshall walked out of the cabin a moment later to greet them. Teddy introduced Kelly and Daryl, and then they went inside. All talk about pregnancies or babies were forgotten for a while, when the Dixons got to see the interior. Daryl knew he was good at building things, but he would never be able to build something like this for the three of them. That strange feeling inside of him grew stronger and he soon realized, what it was; he felt at home. As in, his actual home. Like it belonged to them. He knew Teddy felt the same, when he saw the look on her face while they got a tour. He realized that they both belonged in a house like this and his determination to make it happen for them some day grew by the second. He would start looking for a second job tomorrow to help them save up more. They were still a far cry from having what they needed, especially now that they would have to take money out of savings to get everything ready for their baby girl.

The open kitchen was beautiful with granite counter tops, a breakfast bar and custom cabinets. The great room and the dining room were open and large and had a huge stone fireplace. The rooms opened to a covered deck on the back. They went downstairs where she had four large rooms for her classes and from there they went outside into the manicured backyard with a fountain and tons of plantings, as well as a freaking hot tub. That woman had a freaking hot tub out in the freaking woods. The property was huge, stretching out quite a bit into the forest, more so than Daryl had thought.

“Wow. I actually hate you a little bit right now, Kelly.” Teddy laughed. “This is all absolutely beautiful. It's a dream. You know my husband and I have this dream of living in a place like this, out in nature...”

“Oh really? That's interesting.” Kelly smiled while she led them back inside. “For 270,000 dollars it could be yours.” 

Daryl and Teddy stopped short and stared at her in surprise. “Wait, what??? You're selling this place???”

“Yes, I plan to.” Kelly laughed at their stunned expressions. “Guess you'd be interested, huh? I'm not selling it yet, but soon.”

“What on earth would possess you to sell this and leave?” Teddy asked incredulously.

“Love.” Kelly smiled and got a dreamy expression on her face. “My ex-husband and I built this in 2007. I got it in the divorce, because it was also my workplace. Well, about a year ago I met someone new, a lawyer from Marietta. Long-distance is hard to do and we don't want to do it anymore. I can work pretty much anywhere, but he is a partner in his firm and has to stay where he is, so you are actually my last client. As soon as you give birth, I'm out of here.”

“We'll take it.” Teddy said promptly, making Daryl's head whip around to look at her like she was insane.

“Really? You got 270,000 bucks laying around I don't know about?” 

“No, but we can do rent-to-own or something, right Kelly?” Teddy's big eyes were so full of hope, that it actually hurt Kelly to have to crush it.

“No, sorry. I need the money to set up my new practice in Marietta. I'm really sorry. It would be a good fit for you, I'm sure. Four bedrooms, three baths and the extra rooms downstairs... Lots of space for a family of three with pets. Also everything is baby-proof and fenced in already...” 

“Yeah, thanks. Ya ain't makin' it easier.” Daryl interrupted her gruffly, seeing Teddy's shoulders slump visibly as hope left her body. “Can't afford it. Period.”

“Well, if anything changes...” she offered weakly, feeling bad for making their mouths water for it even more despite knowing that they wouldn't be able to buy it.

The mood was fairly muted for the rest of the meeting. They talked about Teddy's general condition and about her last pregnancy, so Kelly would get a picture of how things had been the last time around and how she was doing right now. Since Teddy didn't need any info about pregnancy or giving birth it was just important for the three of them to get to know each other better and build some trust in the coming months.

Teddy also signed up for prenatal yoga class, and soon after they drove back home in silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts, both thinking about that beautiful cabin and that 0.6 acres piece of forest it was located on. As soon as they were home, Daryl took Roxy for a walk and Teddy grabbed her laptop.

“We can just get a loan from the bank.” she told Daryl as soon as he had set foot in the living room upon his return.

“Nah, we can't.” Daryl muttered darkly. He was in a foul mood, because he couldn't stop thinking about that damn house and how he had felt there. He was crushed that they weren't able to move there and his being crushed had quickly morphed into anger. Mostly at himself for being a goddamn failure and not being able to make this dream come true for them. He suddenly hated the apartment, hated the damn white kitchen, hated the thumping of the neighbor's footsteps echoing through the ceiling, hated living in town,... he felt like he was suffocating and he knew he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

“Yes, we can. I typed it into a mortgage loan calculator. If we get a loan for 300,000 dollars with an interest rate of 3.25% we only have to pay 1305 dollars every month for 30 years.” Teddy was excited, thinking this was a very good option, after all the house was too good to just pass up.

“Oh, just 30 years, yeah? Why that's nothing. Being indebted to some bank until I'm almost 70 fucking years old... Piece'a cake. Let's do it.” he smiled sarcastically while he poured himself some whiskey.

“Daryl...”

“Nah. Ain't gonna happen, Teddy.”

“But why not? What would be so bad about it? Tons of people do it. Why can't we do it to get ourselves that house?”

“Because! That's why! Let's say we do it. We get our dream house, we spent some good years there. Then something happens. Who knows what, but maybe we won't be able to pay off that loan no more. Know what'll happen then? They kick us out on the street, kid or no kid, they don't care. They just want their money. What would that do to us, huh? Think you can do that? Live the dream only to have it torn away again? It would fucking kill ya, girl. Hell, it would kill me, and that's why we ain't never gon' get a damn loan.” he gulped down his whiskey when he had finished his rant, only to pour himself another. He needed to get this horrible feeling out of this system, the shitty feeling of being homesick. He missed being in that damn cabin, and it wasn't even theirs, and Teddy certainly wasn't helping in making him forget. She was just driving the thorn deeper and deeper into his skin, making him ache and burn with the feeling of letting her down.

“Okay, no loan from a bank, but what about my parents? They have more money than they could ever spend and they would love to help us out.”

“No.” 

“They would never kick us out, you know that Daryl. The house is beautiful. We have to move anyway, I need my home office, Daryl and there we could have everything.”

“No. Our jobs are here. Both our jobs, Teddy. Would be stupid to move there and spent an hour in the fucking car every day, just like yer brother.”

“A small price to pay for living our dream, Daryl. Please let's just ask my parents?”

“No, Teddy. Stop.”

“Did you see the deck? You can take Roxy and walk right off that deck and into the woods every morning after you had your coffee. It's perfect.”

“Stop.”

“Why? Daryl please, don't be that way. We could have it all. Please just think it ov-”

“I SAID NO, THEODORA!!! NOW SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT THAT DAMN HOUSE. IT AIN'T HAPPENING!” 

Teddy's heart literally stopped beating in shock when he threw his glass against the wall, making it shatter into sharp pieces while he screamed at her at the top of his lungs. She was so shocked that she felt completely disoriented for a moment. She started shaking and it was hard to breathe. Her heart hurt and she clutched her belly when she felt her daughter move, it was like hundreds of tiny gas bubbles burst in her belly; Little Turtle was reacting big time to what was happening.

Daryl watched all color drain from Teddy's face and she was shaking so hard that he was able to see it with bare eyes. Hell, he was shaking, too, and he felt like the worst piece of shit that was walking the Earth.

“Shit, Teddy...” he reached out towards her, wanting to take her into his arms and mourn the loss of their dream house together with her.” I'm sorry.”

He froze when Teddy flinched at his approach and got up from the couch as quickly as she could. “Don't come near me.” her voice was a scared whisper and before he came out of his own shock, she had locked herself in the bathroom. 

“Shit.” he buried his face in his hands when he heard her throw up. He didn't know what was wrong with him. She hadn't done anything. She was just looking for a solution, but the fact was, that there was none. He would never take money from anybody else. Not the bank and also not her parents. He didn't want to be indebted to anyone. It never ended well. That was one thing he wouldn't budge on, and Teddy would just have to accept that.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter was initially 15,200 words, so I split it in two. Part 2 will be posted tomorrow or on Wednesday. Enjoy.

Chapter 34

That fight had been explosive, at least on Daryl's part, but it wasn't as short as their usual fights. His violent outburst had been two days ago and things were still very tense between them. Teddy hadn't talked to him since and it was hurting him more than he would ever be able to express with words, but he knew he deserved it. He had made his own wife scared of him. Merle had been wrong; Daryl was more like his old man than he would ever like to admit. Sweet one, my ass. Hell, he would deserve more than the silent treatment, he would have deserved a major beating. He was more sorry than he'd ever been his entire life. The worst part was, that she wouldn't let him apologize. She was ignoring him completely, like he was air. She wasn't even telling him if their little turtle was okay and he was worried out of his mind about that. She didn't acknowledge him at all, didn't even look at him. She had slept on the couch the past two nights, refusing to set foot into the bedroom, Roxy and Snoopy staying close by her side. It was like he didn't even exist and it was the worst punishment ever. He felt like he was dying a slow death and she was the only thing that would keep him from dying, but even though she was close, he just wasn't able to reach her and make his plight known.

On the third night he couldn't stand sitting alone in the kitchen again, and he sought her out in her home office. “Teddy,... darlin',... I fucked up, I know that. I crossed the line. I'm sorry, I really am, but how long's this s'pposed ta go on for?” he stood in the door to her home office, but she wasn't even looking up from her files. “Great...” he sighed and shifted his weight. “Jus' tell me if our girl is okay. I heard ya puke... Ain't never gon' forgive myself... specially not if I hurt her, too.”

Nothing. He was still air to her and his desperation grew. He needed her to talk to him, they had to work it out. This should be the time where they eat take out on the couch with books of baby names on their laps, discussing what they would name their baby girl. Not this. This wasn't right, and yet he had no one to blame but himself. He was cursing himself over and over, had been doing it for the past two days. He could have hurt her. What if those glass shards would have cut her? Made her bleed? He would have fucking killed himself, the guilt would have been even more overwhelming than it already was right now. 

At the same time he couldn't understand how she was able to freeze him out like that. If the roles would be reversed, he wouldn't be able to stay away from her like this. He'd have caved the next day after the outburst. She had been a cold person before she'd met him, or so people said. He was beginning to see a glimpse of who she had been. She must have been able to just turn off her emotions, flipping a switch like she'd do with a light that was blinding her eyes. He was able to do that as well, but only with other people; never with her.

'It's not supposed to be like this,...' that was the thought that kept repeating itself inside his head.

“Ya wanna cook somethin' for me? Five-course-meal? I'd eat it all, every last bite...” he trailed off, realizing that a lame joke wouldn't help the situation either. “Need a refill for that?” he pointed at her emtpy glass, while Teddy stacked her files and shut off her computer. “I'll get you a refill...”

Daryl grabbed the glass from her desk and walked back into the kitchen. Yeah, he was pathetic, he knew that. He was acting like a dog that had made an oopsie and was trying to get back into its owners good graces, but what else was there for him to do? Leave her be and not try at all? No, he couldn't do that. He was reaching his breaking point quickly, and who knew how long she would keep this up if he wouldn't try talking to her. He would keep trying. If he got on her nerves, good, then maybe she'd break and yell at him. Anything to get her to show any kind of reaction towards him. 

He grabbed a couple of oranges out of their fruit bowl and cut them in half. Teddy loved freshly squeezed orange juice, it helped making her feel refreshed after a long day of work and he was sure that it was exactly what she needed right now. Looked like she had quite a lot of work to go through and she still stayed far away from coffee, so hopefully this would do the trick. It took him a moment to fill up the glass, and when he returned to the office, he was surprised to find it dark and empty. 

“What...? Teddy?” he headed to the next room, which would be their bedroom, but that was empty as well. “Teddy? Babe, you in here?” he knocked on the bathroom door next, before carefully opening it, but again, empty. His stomach sank when he realized that she must have sneaked out of the apartment while he had been busy in the kitchen. Really? She couldn't even stand being in the same apartment? Or maybe his trick hadn't worked at all. Instead of breaking down and yelling at him, she had simply left. It was ripping his heart out.

####### ####### #######

“Daryl.” Gerald smiled when he opened the door and saw his son-in-law standing on the other side of it. 

“Is she here?” Daryl asked urgently, his fists clenching by his sides.

“Teddy? No...” Gerald's eyes widened. “She isn't home yet?”

“She was. She left. Sneaked out...” Daryl replied and Gerald let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh thank God. You had me worried for a second.” Gerald stepped aside and motioned for Daryl to come in. “She told me what is going on. Come inside for a moment.”

Daryl started chewing his bottom lip to shreds. If she had told her parents what had happened, they probably had some choice words in store for him. Not that he wouldn't deserve a tongue-lashing from the in-laws for treating their daughter like that, still it wasn't something he was looking forward to. They were his family now and he was scared of making them turn against him. He followed Gerald inside and into the living room, where Bernie was putting away her crossword puzzle when they entered. 

“Oh sweetheart, you look terrible. “Bernadette greeted him by getting up and rubbing his arms lightly, surprising the hell out of him. He realized that both of them were smiling gently at him and he really didn't know what to make of it. “Your guilt is gnawing away at you, isn't it? It's written all over your face.”

He nodded mutely and lowered his head in shame. He didn't deserve them being nice to him. He flinched a little when Gerald put his hand just below the back of his neck, shaking him a little in a fatherly gesture.

“Come on, let's sit down. Would you like a drink?”

He gave another nod while he sat down on the couch and looked up at his in-laws, just peeking up at them between his bangs that once again had grown too long, reaching the tip of his nose by now.

“Right off the bat,...” Gerald started while he handed Daryl a glass of scotch, “we know what happened,... at least Teddy's side of it, and we are not getting involved. We won't tell either of you what you should do, but we can listen and we can share our own experiences.”

“Fair enough.” Daryl mumbled and let the alcohol swirl around in the glass by moving his hand in little circles nervously.

“What happened, sweetie? Teddy said you just exploded. That it came out of nowhere. I know my daughter, I love her, but I also know that she can be a handful-” Bernadette asked him to tell his side of the story. Daryl interrupted her quickly before she could start in any more on her daughter.

“She didn't do nothin'. She was just excited, looking for a way to make that house happen for us, beggin' me to think it over,... I just snapped.”

“Why?” Gerald was confused why that would make him smash a glass and yell at Teddy.

It took Daryl a moment to get the words out. It wasn't easy for him to talk about his feelings like this with somebody that wasn't his wife. “Felt like shit. Like I failed her. Can't give her nothin'. That house is a damn dream. I,... I felt good there... like it was OUR house, ya know? Like we were already livin' there and we was comin' home from grocery shopping or something.” he didn't know if the words made sense to them, and he felt like even more of an idiot for admitting the next part. “Got homesick. As soon as we were back at that apartment I was fucking homesick. Wanted ta be back at that cabin with her, but there ain't no way. 270,000 bucks... never gon' have this kind of money. Can't ever build her somethin' like that. Crushed me,... I already knew it wasn't gonna happen and she kept goin' on about getting loans from you and the bank... she was just so damn excited and it crushed me even more, ya know? She kept asking 'why not, why not...' I kept telling her why not and I just,... I kept feeling worse 'nd worse with every second and then I just snapped. Threw that glass at the wall, yelled at her... scared her to death.”

“Oh honey,...” Bernadette shook her head and sighed deeply.

“Ya can hate me,... It's okay, I deserve it. Hate myself for doin' that.” Daryl uttered regretfully. 

“We don't hate you, son. Of course we are not pleased when our daughter gets hurt, but this is between the two of you, and things like this happen.” Gerald tried to ease Daryl's mind a little.

“Doubt it. Worst part is, I swore to myself to never be like him,... My old man,... now I did exactly what he used to do to my momma. I'm just like him.”

“No, you're not, Daryl. Don't think like that. One mistake doesn't make you a bad husband. Take me for example. Am I like your father?”

“Nah, ya got yer faults, but ya ain't nothin' like him.” Daryl said, not sure where Gerald was going with his question.

“Exactly. Let me tell you something. Bernie and I were newlyweds once, obviously. We sometimes fought like cats and dogs. Over big things and also over stupid and little things, we didn't know when to stop and leave the other one be, and somehow, we enjoyed testing out those limits, seeing how far we could go.” Gerald smiled a little at that memory. He couldn't believe how many years had passed since then, when it seemed like it had been just yesterday. “Anyway, this one time it got bad. Really bad. It was before the kids were born. Bernie was jealous of a pretty receptionist I had hired. Coincidentally I had worked a bit longer than usual during that time when I had hired her and it made Bernie suspicious. When I came home late one night, we got into it. We must have woken up the whole street with our yelling. At one point it stopped being just yelling and it got physical. We had this coffee table, heavy old thing,... to this day I don't know how she did it, must have been adrenalin, but Bernie shoved that thing and made it hit me full-force, right against my bad knee. It hurt a lot and out of reflex, I slapped her hard in the face.” 

Daryl looked at Gerald in shock. Surely he was making it up. Gerald Robertson would never ever hit his wife, Daryl was sure of that. “You? Nah,... never...”

“It's true, honey.” Bernadette laughed.

“Yes it is, we both had nice big bruises for a week.” Gerald smiled and squeezed Bernie's knee. “It happened, but we worked it out and here we are, still happily married. What I am trying to say is, that these things happen in marriages, Daryl. When there is love and passion involved, things can get heated pretty quickly. We tend to hurt the people we love the most, that is just a fact. Now it happened in your marriage and it will happen again, I can promise you that. You two still have a lot to learn about each other and about marriage. It is a learning curve and it will continue to be a learning curve for a lot of years to come. Next time it could be Teddy screwing up or making a big deal out of nothing. She could snap just as well as you did. It happened to me, it happened to Bernie, to Billy and Maggie, to most of the people on this planet. We are only human and when something like this happens, it doesn't automatically make you a bad person, Daryl. You are a good man. A very, very good man and an even better husband to Teddy. We all know that, SHE knows that. You made a mistake, that's all. You will have to work through it and you will have to learn from your mistakes. With time you will be able to handle things better, but until then this might happen a couple of more times. The most important thing is communication. You have to talk about things, work through them and get them out of the way.”

“I'm trying, but she ain't talking to me. She hasn't talked ta me in two days and now she gone.”

“I don't wanna say too much,...” Gerald hesitated for a moment, but decided to go ahead and tell Daryl anyway. “Teddy is shocked, Daryl. She was... IS, absolutely shell-shocked by your reaction. She needs some time to process it and clear her head a little. She is pregnant, son, it's an emotional time for a woman. She is reacting more strongly than before, she's more sensitive emotionally and all those hormones make her a bit weepy, too. She doesn't like being that way and that makes her angry at herself and so on and so on. Her head is a little overwhelmed and she needs time to sort it all out. She will come to you when she is ready. Don't crowd her.”

“Easier said than done.” Daryl scoffed softly. He really didn't know how much longer he'd be able to stand that silent treatment. “Do you know if our daughter's okay? She threw up right after I yelled at her... been worried as fuck. Can ya please tell me? Do ya know?”

Gerald and Bernadette both stared at him with wide eyes. Bernie swallowed hard, tears glistening in her eyes, and Daryl once again had no idea what was happening.

“Daughter? It's a girl? We are getting a little granddaughter?” Daryl was absolutely horrified when he noticed tears in Gerald's eyes as well. He barely knew how to deal with girl-tears... he had no clue what to do about man-tears.

“She didn't tell ya...?” Daryl felt even worse now. This hadn't been his news to share with them. Teddy would be sad that they already knew. Another screw-up to add to the list.

“No, she hasn't,... probably wanted to wait until the next dinner.” Gerald wiped at his eyes and turned towards his wife, who was crying little rivers. “Did you hear that, Bernie? A little granddaughter, on top of our beautiful little grandson. Isn't that wonderful?” He started laughing out of sheer happiness, while he hugged his wife hard. He couldn't wait, this was the best time of their lives. Two beautiful grandchildren and a family that really got along for once.

“It will be just like back then, when Teddy and Billy were little. A chance for us to make some things up.” Bernie cried, but she was smiling happily. “Oh I can't wait to have them both here.”

“We should start having two family dinners a week. Have them here as often as possible.” Gerald laughed and turned his attention back to Daryl. “I'm turning my office into a room for them. I will retire at the end of the year and I don't need that big office anymore. It will be their room, to play in and sleep in, whenever they are here. I guess your daughter will be here a lot, since you both work full-time... We can talk about all that on Wednesday during dinner. Billy, Maggie and Johnny are coming, too. It's going to be wonderful with all the good news.”

“If Teddy even wants me ta come...” Daryl muttered pessimistically.

“Of course she wants you to be there, Daryl. Teddy loves you very much, that hasn't changed. She just needs to get over her shock. You will work things out, I am sure of that. WE want you to be there, too. We love you like you're our own, Daryl.” Gerald proudly clapped him on the back, while this time it was Daryl who had to fight to keep his tears from welling up. He knew they liked him, but he had never realized that they really cared for him in a way that his own parents should have cared. He was a lucky son of a bitch. “You are a really good man, Daryl. You have your faults, like each and every one of us, but your heart is one of the purest I have ever seen. You have a gentle soul, but you can turn into an animal and fight for what you believe in and fight for what's yours. And most importantly, you take care of our daughter. You turned her into a better person. And it's like Bernie said a couple of weeks ago, you are the glue that put this family back together. I would be damn proud to call you my own.”

“Thanks...” Daryl pressed out, trying not to let them see how emotional the words had made him.

“It will be okay, Daryl. Don't worry. Keep in mind what I told you. It will happen again. Especially when your daughter is here. The transition from being 'just' a married couple to parents is often not an easy one. There will be tough times ahead. It's not easy giving up the autonomy you used to have and not being able to do things whenever you feel like it. There will always be a little girl who comes first from now on. It might come easy to you, but maybe you will struggle a great deal with all the changes. You are going to change, Teddy is going to change and your lives are going change. It's possible that it might come easy to you, but not to Teddy or vice versa. A lot can happen, you have to be prepared for everything. That's why it is so important to communicate. Like I said, it's a long and steep learning curve, but there is so much love and understanding between you and Teddy, I would be surprised if you two wouldn't make it work.”

“And the baby is fine.” Bernadette quickly told Daryl, when she remembered his question that had been forgotten over the news of the baby being a girl. “She was truly shocked, that's why she threw up.”

“Thank God.” Daryl released a deep breath, glad that their little turtle was okay for now. “Any idea where Teddy is?”

“The practice would be my guess. She had some paperwork to do.” Gerald guessed. “But don't crowd her, maybe that's why she left.”

“Yeah. Imma get goin'. Thanks. For everything.” he got up and Gerald followed suit, pulling a surprised and slightly embarrassed Daryl into his arms for a fatherly hug.

“It's what we do, son. We love you both so very much. We will always be here for you. Whatever you need, we are here.” Gerald smiled at his wife over Daryl's shoulder, when he felt Daryl's tentative hands touch his sides for a split second. Then he passed Daryl on into Bernie's waiting arms.

“Don't worry, Daryl. Everything will be fine. That girl loves you too much to stay away for long.”

Daryl scoffed internally. To him those two damn days had already been an eternity. Today was the third day, two more days and he might beg her forgiveness on his hands and knees.

After leaving Gerald and Bernadette's house, he drove by the practice to check if she was there. He was relieved when he saw the lights being on in her office and drove back home. He went straight to bed, but sleep didn't come until he'd heard her coming home.

####### ####### #######

The next day was a Saturday. No work for either of them and no way to really avoid each other inside the apartment. At least not for the whole weekend. Teddy woke up when she heard Daryl flush the toilet. She kept her eyes closed while he quietly padded through the living room to get to the kitchen. She tried to keep her breathing even when she noticed him stopping next to the couch to watch her sleep. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt his feather light, warm touch skimming up the inside of her forearm. It ignited a longing inside of her, that made her hurt all over. She missed him, missed his touch, his kisses and being in his arms. In that moment she made a decision; it was time to to get this whole thing sorted out. 

Daryl looked at her with a guilty expression on his face when she opened her eyes and practically “caught” him touching her. He quickly pulled his hand back and shifted his weight awkwardly.

“What time is it?” she asked quietly, before he was able to mumble an apology.

“5.30.” he answered while he eyed her carefully. He wasn't showing it, but he was insanely happy about hearing her voice again. It felt like the rubber band that had been cutting off his oxygen supply had been loosened a little. He was able to breathe again.

“Starting our weekend out early, hm?” She yawned while she stretched her stiff limbs out a little.

“Couldn't sleep.” he shrugged and brought his thumb up to his mouth to chew on it, showing her how nervous he was.

“It shows...” she hated seeing him like this. He looked exhausted, the circles underneath his eyes were almost purple and he looked like he had aged 20 years in the past three days. It pained her that he was suffering, but it was his own fault. “Come here,... cuddle up under the blanket while it's still warm. I'll make tea, and a coffee for you.” she stood up and held the blanket up for him to slip under. He did so right away, still watching her carefully, not knowing what to expect or what to say or do, really. When Teddy left for the kitchen, he slid down further underneath the blanket, cuddling his head into the cushions of the couch. He brought up the blanket to his nose, surrounding himself in her smell, inhaling deeply, filling his nostrils with her clean scent that was always accompanied by that faint cherry note from her body wash.

Teddy was nervous as well. While she fixed their beverages she tried to think of how to start. She had never been in this kind of situation before. Just like Daryl she didn't quite know how to do this. Daryl hadn't hurt her physically, like one of her ex-boyfriends once had. With that guy it had been easy. She had called the cops and had eventually gotten a restraining order. She had never loved him, he had been out of her life quickly and she didn't really have to talk to him ever again. Things with Daryl were drastically different, obviously. He had just snapped and lost control for a hot minute. She was sure that he would never hit her, but his outburst had still scared the living daylights out of her. She would have understood the yelling, she would admit to pushing him a bit with the loan stuff, but the glass-throwing, that had shocked her to the core and she had no idea what she had done to warrant that extreme kind of reaction. 

The coffee and the tea were done quicker than she would have liked, but there was no use in procrastinating. They had to talk this out and put it behind them, they had their daughter's arrival to think about. Even though the house was not an option for them, they still had to find something bigger to move into, and soon. Teddy grabbed their full mugs and carefully balanced them on her way back to the couch, so she wouldn't spill any hot fluids and accidentally burn her feet. That was the last thing she needed.

“Thanks.” Daryl gratefully accepted his coffee, a stab of disappointment piercing his heart, when she sat down five feet away from him, huddling herself into the opposite corner of the couch with her tea. Neither of them said anything, because they had no idea what to say. This was very new territory for the both of them and needless to say, they felt awkward and didn't like that one bit. 

“What happened to you back there?” Teddy finally broke the silence after a couple of minutes. “I tried to make sense of it, but I really don't understand why you reacted that violently.”

“Hm,... you know... snapped.” he grunted with a shrug. 

“But why like that? I might have understood the yelling, but why did you smash the glass, too? You were completely out of control for a second. Do YOU even know why you did it?”

“Was overwhelmed, I guess. I liked that house jus' as much as you did. Maybe even more.” he admitted honestly. “But I already knew that there was no way for us to afford it. Made me realize that I won't ever be able to give something like it to you. Can't give ya nothin'. I'm still just a piss-poor redneck, nothing's changed 'bout that.”

“It's not true, Daryl.”

“It is. If I'd be able ta contribute more, maybe we'd be able ta save up better,... I don't know.” he stared down into his half empty coffee mug. “I saw the look on yer face, how much ya wanted that house... Killed me. I'm failin' ya big time, Teddy. Promised I'd always take care of ya, give ya all you want and deserve, but I can't. Realized that then and there. That whole fucking house thing crushed me. Don't have another word for it other than crushed. I was down, like some depressed pussy,... When I came home and ya kept talking about getting the money from the bank or your parents, that made me feel even more like shit, because you were still so fucking excited, even though there was no hope. It just dragged me down even more that I had to tell you that it wasn't gonna happen. Not ever. It all got too much at once and something inside of me broke I guess,... made me snap.”

“It's not hopeless, Daryl. The loan is a good option. I told my parents about the house and they would love to help us out.”

“It ain't an option, Teddy. It ain't. Never.”

“Why? Why are you so against them giving us money? It won't be charity, we'd be paying it back month by month. It would be just like paying rent.”

“I don't wanna owe anyone money, alright? Been there done that. Especially not close to 300,000 bucks. What if we miss a payment? I wouldn't be able to look at them again. It would be hanging over my head every single time we saw them. It would still take us over 30 fucking years to pay it back, Teddy. Do you realize how old yer folks are in thirty years? They might not even live anymore. They go to the grave with us owing them money? No fucking way, girl. No way. What if I die? Or you die? We owe an assload of money to the bank or to your parents and one of us bites the dust? You might be able to pay for it alone, but I'm not. No loans, girl. Never.” Daryl said with finality, leaving no room for discussion.

“Okay.” Teddy understood his reasoning and actually had to admit that he had a good point. “I wish you would have explained it to me on Tuesday, Daryl. I would have left it alone. I actually understand your reasons for not wanting to get a loan, now that you explained them. You are right, they are in their sixties now and they'd be in their nineties then,... I don't want to owe them money that long either. I didn't even think that far ahead, I was too excited to think straight.”

“I know. Can't blame ya for it. But that day it was like ya were callin' me a damn failure over and over again. Couldn't take it.”

“Why didn't you say anything?” 

“I told ya to stop a couple of times, Teddy. You didn't.” he reminded her that she hadn't been completely innocent in him losing his temper.

“Yeah alright, guess I pushed you to far, but it doesn't excuse flipping out like that. You know what I've been through with my ex, right? How he hit me? By throwing that glass you took me back to that moment, when he lost control. I was really scared, Daryl. I was shocked that you would go that far over such a little thing. Now I know that there was a bit more to it than I thought, but then? To me it came out of nowhere and it was horrifying to me, that you of all people would do that. There's no excuse for that, Daryl. You can't ever do something like that again. Do you know that your daughter kicked up a storm in here while you did it?” Teddy put her hand on her belly and rubbed it softly under Daryl's guilty gaze. His breath got stuck in his throat for a moment when he realized that he'd not only upset Teddy, but also their unborn daughter. “It affected her, too. She's okay, but you have to be aware of the fact, that she feels how I feel while she is in here. As little as she is, she knows when something is up. We have to work out a system here, Daryl. This really can't happen again, not during the pregnancy and especially not when she is out here with us. Out of the two of us, you know best what it does to a child when they have to witness something like that. You lived it, Daryl. Do you want our daughter to ever see one of us freak out like that?”

“No,... 'course not. I learned ma lesson this time. Trust me, I did. Ain't like the food thing, where I always say I learned my lesson, but never do. With this, I did learn.” he finally dared to look up at her again, his bright blue orbs meeting her dark green ones. “I can't promise ya, that we'll never fight again.”

“Of course not, Daryl. I know that's not possible.”

“But I'll promise ya that I'll never do any fucked up shit like that again. Ever. Don't want to be like my old man. It was a wake-up call for sure. I know there ain't no excuse for what I did, but I'm real sorry and I'll do anythin' it takes for you to forgive me.” he promised fiercely, hoping that they would be able to move on from that screw-up now.

“Anything except getting a loan?” Teddy lips were curled in a little smile. As far as she was concerned this fight was over. She had told him where she stood on this and if it did happen again, he would have to live with the consequences. She knew he was truly sorry and felt guilty as hell, it was clearly visible on his face, no need for him to tell her over and over again that he was sorry. The important thing was, that he had learned from his mistake and only time would tell if he truly had. No sense in dwelling on it right now. They really had other things to worry about.

“Yeah. No loan. I can't. The house is dead, darlin'.”

“I know. We'll find something else. No worries.” Teddy turned her attention to Snoopy who had jumped on the back of the couch and was nuzzling her cheek. She raised her arms away from her stomach, making some room for him to slowly descend from her shoulder down to her lap, where he curled up, snuggling his back right against her bump and started purring loudly. Teddy gently scratched his head, while he fell asleep, relishing in how much the pets were able to relax her and calm her down. She looked back up at Daryl, who still looked at her like a guilty puppy dog, and sighed. “Next time you feel like you can't handle a conversation, just say it. Tell me that you can't handle it and I'll leave you alone. And I promise that I will really leave you alone until you have calmed down and sorted things out. I won't push anymore. And I'll tell you if I ever reach a point where I need a break. Okay?”

“Promise.” 

“Good. Now come here and gimme a kiss.” she made a come-hither-motion with her index finger and curled her fingers around the fabric of his t-shirt when he was close enough, pulling him to her. 

Daryl could have wept with joy when their lips met. It was a hard kiss, full of raw emotions and littered with whispered declarations of “I'm sorry”.

“I know, baby. I know. It's okay now. It's behind us, let's focus on other things.” Teddy smiled when she pulled away. She didn't want to stop, but unfortunately nature was calling. Not just for her, but for Roxy as well. She came trotting over to the couch and started nudging Daryl, reminding him that he had to take her for her walk.

Things slowly got back on track after that. That Saturday was still a bit awkward, both still tiptoeing around each other a little, but it got a bit better with every hour that passed. Most of the day they spent vegging out on the couch, taking several naps as they were both exhausted and looking online for affordable apartments and houses in town. By Sunday afternoon they were back to normal and took a nice long stroll with Roxy, holding hands and sharing smiles and laughs like usual.


	35. Chapter 35

Part 2

"What about Dixie?" Daryl asked with a straight face and looked up from the book of baby names, which Teddy had kept from her first pregnancy, wanting to see her reaction. He wasn't disappointed when she looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Dixie Dixon?" she cocked her eyebrow, giving him a look that told him he was insane. "Are you serious? Why not spare us the trouble and just call her the Queen of Rednecks right away?"

"Why not? It's got a ring to it." he chuckled, while a half-eaten doughnut hit him in the chest. It didn't bother him at all, he just grabbed it and took a big bite, speaking with his mouth full. "Thanks, babe. Felt a bit peckish anyway."

"Idiot." Teddy laughed and nudged his leg with her foot. Daryl winked at her and balanced the open book on his lap, using his now free hand to gently massage her foot a little. Teddy's eyes closed in bliss and she leaned her head back against the couch cushion, enjoying having him pamper her a little.

"Okay, Dixie is out. What about Emmylou? And I'm serious this time." he asked around the last bite of doughnut, before he sucked the frosting from his fingers.

"Not sure. I like Emmy, though. Generally, I like it when girls have unisex or boy's names. Nothing too girly." Teddy said while she reached for another one of the doughnuts they had brought back from their Sunday afternoon stroll.

"She's a girl, darlin'. She's gon' have a proper girl name." Daryl insisted while his eyes skimmed over another column of names.

"Okay, but can her middle name be a unisex or boy name?"

"What she need a middle name for?"

"Everybody in our family's got a middle name. What's the harm?"

"Fine." Daryl conceded. "What about Grace?"

"No. It's a pretty name, but our daughter doesn't feel like a Grace. How do you like Ruby?"

"Ruby Dixon?"

"Uh, you know what? That show I like, Switched at Birth? One daughter is called Bay. I really like that."

"Bay Dixon? Come on, Teddy. That don't sound good. Sounds like a lake or somethin'."

"I have a question." Teddy narrowed her eyes at him, when she realized something.

"What?"

"Are you even gonna call her anything but Little Turtle when she is born? Will you ever call her by her real name?" she asked with a laugh, pretty sure she knew the answer already.

"Prolly not." Daryl shrugged. He was sure she would still be his Little Turtle when she was freaking 18 years old.

"Then what the hell do you care what her name is gonna be?"

"I'm her Daddy and I want her to have a good name."

"I love you." Teddy shook her head with a smile.

"Love ya, too. How about Gina?"

"Hm."

"Hm?"

"Don't love it. Once again, it's pretty,..."

"But she don't feel like a Gina." Daryl finished her sentence with a sigh. Too bad, somehow he really liked that name. "Ya know what? Imma write it on the list. Maybe you'll change yer mind."

"Maybe. What about Alicia? Ally for short."

"Yeah, I like it. I'll write it down." he leaned over to the coffee table and wrote down Gina and Alicia as possible names, so they could keep track which ones they liked. "What about Kenzie?"

"Kenzie Dixon? Hmmmm." Teddy mulled it over, repeating the name in her head a couple of times in different combinations. "Kenzie Sawyer Dixon?"

"Sawyer?"

"I like Sawyer."

"I like Gina. Kenzie Gina Dixon."

"Daryl! One girl's name is enough." Teddy laughed and nudged him once more.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine. But ya like Kenzie more than the others, don't cha?"

"I do. She might be a Kenzie. Write it down, please."

"Done." he dropped the pen and grabbed himself another doughnut from the box, before he turned his attention back on the book.

"Maybe we should run our name choices by Merle." Teddy mused out loud.

"Why?"

"Isn't he the master of nicknames? We'll tell him what we've come up with so far, and the names he can't find a mean nickname for move to the next round."

"Might not be a bad idea, but Merle don't give out nicknames based on names."

"I know, but still, he might be a good sounding board on that one." Teddy argued while she took the last doughnut from the box.

"Maybe. Can't hurt." Daryl grabbed his coffee cup from the table while he looked at the next page of names in the book. When Teddy had finished her doughnut she wiped her fingers on a napkin and threw it in the box.

"We're full now." She announced and rubbed over her belly contentedly. "I could use an orgasm now."

Daryl almost spit out his coffee. He swallowed just in time, coughing a little when some of it went down the wrong way. "Ya know, you used ta have nicer ways of seducin' me."

"Awwww, does Daddy wanna be wooed?" Teddy giggled and knelt up to crawl closer to him.

"I ain't yer sex slave, ya know? Lil' wooing don't hurt." he smirked and tossed the book on the table.

"Interesting choice of words, baby. You got rope somewhere around here, don't you? With your hunting gear?"

"Yes." Daryl answered slowly, a wary expression crossing over is features. "Why?"

"You trust me?"

"Ya know I do."

"Enough to give yourself to me completely?" Teddy eyed him curiously, knowing that it would be a big challenge for him to hand over the reigns completely.

Daryl swallowed hard. Surrender all control? The idea aroused him and made him uncomfortable at the same time. He trusted her with his life, but he wasn't used to not having any control in the bedroom. He didn't know if he was able to do it, but there was no one else he would rather try it with than her. He knew she would stop the second he told her to, just like he would do for her, if she was uncomfortable with something.

"Yes." he stated simply, hoping that his voice didn't sound as shaky as he felt.

####### ####### #######

"Don't worry, I'll make it good." Teddy's sexy voice in his ear made him shudder in anticipation. He had no doubt about the verity of her statement, she always made good on her promises. Still, being bound to the bed, his hands firmly fastened to the headboard with his own rope, for the very first time, made him a little nervous.

Teddy was straddling his belly, straightening back into an upright position now to admire her handiwork. Her fingers of both hands slowly, almost reverently, traced the insides of his arms from his bound wrists, down his forearms and over his upper arms, all the way to his armpits, feeling the soft, rarely touched skin, that was so sensitive in those places, that her teasing touch made him squirm and tug at the rope already. The sensual tickling sensation had him shiver. Goosebumps were breaking out on his skin, as she slowly brought all his nerve endings to life, making him crave for more of her touch.

"You are truly beautiful." Teddy smiled and let her fingers skim over his collarbones and slightly down over his chest when she heard him scoff. She traced wide circles around his nipples, slowly closing in, while she arched her eyebrow at him. "Do you really wanna argue with me right now?"

Daryl bit his bottom lip, while he arched his back a little, trying to get her to speed up her ministrations and push his nipples closer to her fingertips, needing her touch desperately after that horrible week. "Would be stupid, I guess." his statement was accompanied by a little groan of frustration when she planted both hands in the middle of his chest and gently pushed him back down, instead of playing with his nipples.

"It would be." Teddy smirked while she scooted down his body a little, until she was straddling his groin. "Don't worry, honey. You're gonna have fun, I promise you. But I will be the one to decide WHEN you'll have it. Patience, darling,... isn't that what you always tell me?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Daryl replied dutifully with a little smirk, while he tried to keep his hips from bucking up into her.

"Good boy." she leaned down, her lips ghosting over his cheek until they reached his ear. She traced the outer shell with her tongue before she lightly sucked on his earlobe, while her bra-covered breasts slightly rubbed over his chest. "Maybe you'll get a nice reward for letting me play with you." she breathed into his ear, making him groan as all sorts of images floated through her husband's mind. She straightened again, watching him struggle against his bonds as he tried to grab her.

The rush she experienced when she looked down at him again, could not be described with words, but it was damn powerful. To have a virile, sexually dominant male like Daryl completely submit to her like this was absolutely empowering. Honestly, she needed this after his outburst. She couldn't explain why, but it showed her that they were still equals and that the balance and trust they always used to have in their relationship was still there. She was allowed to have just as much power over him, as he had over her. It put her mind at ease.

"Are you comfortable? Feeling okay?" she asked, wanting to make sure that he was into this and wasn't just letting her do it to make up for what he did.

"Yeah. Bit weird, but not in a bad way. Just ain't used to it." he smiled genuinely. "Like usin' ma hands ya know."

"I know." she laughed, before she gently put her hands to his face, cradling his jaw in her hands and tracing her thumbs over each side of his upper lip, from the center to the corners of his mouth. "My little vampire..." she muttered with a soft smile, when she noticed his fangs peeking out.

"Ain't little, woman." he complained jokingly.

"No, you most certainly are not." She kissed him then, letting her tongue roam into his mouth, gliding along his, tearing a surprised groan from him, when she sucked on his tongue for a split-second.

"Shit, yer gon' kill me tonight, aren't ya?" he panted when she pulled away and placed little nips along his strong neck all the way to his collarbone.

"Not in the literal sense,... but yeah." Teddy promised before she traced her tongue down the hollow of his throat and towards his chest. She stayed away from his so-called 'Danger Zone' for now (which would be his nipples, in this case), not wanting to rile him up right away by playing with the sensitive nubs, she had other plans.

She proceeded to relax him by caressing and kissing his upper body gently. She took her time, enjoying the feel of his body underneath her lips and fingertips. She loved the smooth skin and the hard planes of his chest; loved feeling his straining muscles with their barely containable energy. She loved the soft little pouchy area right below his belly button, the only place where he seemed to have some body fat; a remainder from his heavier days. She nuzzled her nose against it, before sliding it lower, through the little hairs of his happy trail. Heat started to build in the pit of her stomach, wetness pooling between her legs, when she noticed his clean, woods-y smell turning muskier the closer she got to her destination. It was one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs to her, making her go weak in the knees. Her nose nuzzled through his pubic hair, before she slowly slid it down the length of his still soft cock, inhaling his unique scent as she went.

She was satisfied that he wasn't hard yet, this was exactly how she wanted him. She took hold of him with her hand and lifted his cock to meet her lips. She gently swirled her tongue around the circumcised tip, smiling when he groaned deeply, before she parted her lips and slid them down his shaft, feeling him twitch and jump, and then quickly harden and grow against her tongue. She loved feeling him harden in her mouth or her hands. It was fascinating to her and she couldn't get enough of the feeling of his soft dick turning into a warm and solid weight.

She released him from her mouth with a wet popping sound as soon as he was fully hard, much to Daryl's dismay. He wanted to bury his hands in her hair, urging her to give him more, but the rope was keeping his hands securely tucked against the headboard. Teddy crawled up his body again, kissing, nipping and licking along his skin, careful not to let any part of her body touch his erection. Daryl hissed when she licked across his nipple and started to rub it with her thumb while her mouth wandered over to the other one. She sucked that one into her mouth, laving it with her tongue and worrying it with her teeth, making him squirm in no time at all as sharp jabs of pleasure shot right to his groin.

"Darlin',... come on, don't tease like that. It's been almost a week. Ain't cleaned the pipes maself, neither." he groaned, when the longing for her touch on his dick grew steadily.

"I'll do whatever the hell I want, baby. You're not in charge this time, remember?"

"Yes, Ma'am." his groan was strained as his fists started clenching. She was tugging on his nipples with her fingers and teeth, driving him nuts with the lust that was coiling itself into a tight ball inside his groin.

Teddy left his nipples and slowly moved down again, letting her lips run along his hip bones, giggling against his skin when she noticed his cock jumping.

"Like that, don't you? Mmmm, always so eager." she repeated the caress of her lips on the other side, before she continued on her descend. Her cheek brushed against his length, making his breath hitch, while she brought her mouth between his spread legs, nibbling on his thigh for a moment, before she touched her tongue to his balls. She licked down, pressing her tongue against the spot where his scrotum and his perineum meet, sending a jolt of pleasure through him.

"Shit, Teddy,... fuck girl, please..." he didn't even notice that the plea had slipped out, all he knew was that he needed her to touch him and get him off.

"Patience." she moved her head away again, licking down to his knees, stifling a laugh when he groaned in frustration, drawing it out when he couldn't even run his hands through his own hair, like he usually did when he was frustrated.

He had his eyes closed, taking deep breaths as he tried to relax, but she wasn't making it easy. He'd just calmed down again when she moved back up and very softly placed little bites around a sensitive area on his inner thigh, riling him back up. Teddy relished in the whimper that came out of his mouth and rewarded him by lightly sucking on his balls. He groaned loudly and ground his hips into the bed and against her face. He felt like weeping with joy when she didn't pull away again, but instead licked along the underside of his cock with a flat tongue from bottom to top. He opened his eyes and watched the tip of her perfectly pink little tongue trace his coronal ridge all around, flicking it against his frenulum when she reached the underside again. He was clenching his fists so tight that they turned white and the headboard started to creak just a little bit, because he was pulling hard against his restraints. He wanted to bury his hands in her hair and guide her mouth down along his shaft, urging her to suck until he came undone.

He was throbbing and incredibly hard, Teddy knew it wouldn't take much more to make him cum, but she wasn't quite ready to let him blow. She looked up at him, her green eyes locking on his when she cupped his shaft in her palm and placed her mouth lengthwise on his dick, moving it up and down like she was playing a harmonica, as she licked along the side of his cock. The feeling was amazing, and as much as he wanted to keep looking, his eyes fell shut with a groan of her name and he pumped his hips up, hoping she'd have mercy on him and make him cum.

"Teddy,... Teddy please, babe,... need ta cum." he begged and released a hoarse shout the next second, when she took him back into her mouth, moaning around him, making his thighs shake when he tried to hold perfectly still, so he wouldn't make her gag by accident. "Yesssss,... like that, girl,... like that, don't fucking stop now... oh fuck... fuck yeah..." his groans grew more urgent the closer he got. His head pressed back into the pillow and his lips curled back in a snarl, when he was right on the brink of his climax... and suddenly her wonderful mouth was gone and he felt her squeeze the base of his cock tightly, keeping him from cumming.

"No, no, no, come on... the fuck, woman?" he tore at the rope, giving himself some nice rope burn in the process when he tried like a madman to free himself to pull her back to his dick.

"Calm down, baby. You're gonna hurt yourself." She pressed soothing kisses along the top of his thigh, sensually tickling her fingertips along his pubic mound. "Relax,... trust me, I told you I'd make it good, didn't I?"

"By givin' me a nice set of blue balls?" he complained under his breath. His pulse was hammering in his loins and it was almost unbearable. He needed to cum badly, yet there was nothing he could do. His orgasm was in her hands. Frustrating as hell, but also hot as fuck at the same time. "Ya can trust me when I say, that Imma pay ya back for this."

"I sure hope so." Teddy winked and knelt up. She gently kept caressing his body while she reached into her nightstand. Daryl watched her, his eyes widening when she pulled out a familiar item.

"Oh fuck... yer gon' kill me for real." he muttered when he saw the black mini magic wand vibrator in her hands. She'd been wanting to try it on his dick for months.

"I said so, didn't I? I'm sure you're gonna love it." she placed a loving kiss on his lips before she got out their lube. She squirted some into her left hand, then she took hold of his shaft again, slowly moving her hand up and down and over his tip, to coat him in the slippery gel. Direct contact with the vibrator would be intense and the lube would keep it from getting too intense. She wanted it to be pleasurable and not painful. That's why she chose the lowest speed, at least at first, to get him used to it.

"Holy shit..." Daryl pressed out before he held his breath as she touched the vibrator to his straining erection. The vibrations were unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was fucking amazing, but it wasn't enough to make him cum, while she gently moved it up and down along his shaft. He started to relax a little again, but then she rubbed that vibrating head against his sensitive tip. His eyes snapped open in shock as he almost came off the bed. Incoherent, wordless whimpers and groans spilled forth from his mouth as she rubbed the vibrator up and down along the underside of his tip and over his frenulum in a steady rhythm. The air whooshed from his lungs and he felt like he couldn't breathe enough back in, turning his breathing harsh and loud. His whole groin was on fire. The heat raced up his spine and down his legs, as his muscles started to lock up. The pleasure was intense as it built and built and built to an almost intolerable level. He started grunting loudly as he teetered on the edge of that enormous orgasm that surely was coming, his body bowing up, taut like the string on his crossbow when he got ready to fire his bolt. Then, a moment of lust so sharp, burning so hot that it made tears sting behind his closed eyelids. He yelled as his body released the tension with hard bucks of his hips as he came harder and longer than ever before. The agonizing pleasure slowly ebbed off and he was floating, his body feeling light and relaxed, his head feeling fuzzy as euphoric bliss turned into dreamy happiness mixed with lazy sleepiness.

"Damn..." he whispered tiredly, when he was able to again, while Teddy got his buck knife out of his nightstand and carefully cut him loose. She removed the rope from his wrists and sat next to him cross-legged, placing his arm into her lap and gently massaging the stiffness out of it, before she switched over to the other side. She giggled quietly when she noticed that he had fallen asleep almost instantly. A good orgasm was the best sleeping pill in the world. It was fine with her, she had him exactly where she needed him: calm and relaxed and with the brunt of his sexual desire already taken care of. She needed him completely in control of himself for the second part of their adventure.

When she was done with his arms she covered him with a blanket and quietly left the room to let him take a post-coital nap in peace and quiet. She took care of their pets, took a shower and then cut up some fruit and cheese for her and Daryl to snack on. She added crackers, chocolate syrup and two bottles of water to the tray and carefully made her way back into the bedroom.

Daryl had turned on his belly, the blanket pooling around his waist, baring his back to her. He might think of it as ugly because of the scars, but Teddy loved all of him and the scars didn't bother her at all. They were a part of him, and no matter how much her heart ached at the knowledge of what he has been through, she couldn't imagine him without his scars. The sight of his bare back turned her on, hell everything about him turned her on, and that tattoo certainly helped as well. She put the tray on her side of the bed and carefully knelt next to him, kissing up his back and murmuring his name.

"Daryl,... sweetie, wake up."

He shifted and began to come out of his slumber, immediately remembering what had happened. "Ya broke me, woman."

"Poor baby." she laughed and pressed a kiss to his chest. "Come on, sit up. I brought food."

"That ain't the reward I get for lettin' ya play, is it?" Daryl asked curiously while he sat up and leaned back against the headboard.

"Men,... when it comes to sex you guys have the memory of an elephant." Teddy shook her head in amusement while she popped a grape into her mouth. "No, it's not your reward."

Daryl grabbed a water bottle and gulped down half of it in one go, while Teddy squirted some chocolate syrup on a strawberry and held it up to his lips to feed him the sweet treat.

"Mmmm!" Daryl grunted his appreciation as he savored the delicious berry.

"How'd you like it?" Teddy asked, eying him curiously.

"The strawberry?"

"You know I don't mean the strawberry." Teddy rolled her eyes and threw her cracker at him.

"What is it with you and throwin' food at me lately?" Daryl wondered out loud as he grabbed the cracker and stuck it in his mouth.

"Be glad it's just food. Now tell me... Was it okay for you?"

"Yeah. I get what all the fuss is about now. The vibrator, I mean. That thing is wicked."

"It is, but it made you cum good, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but I don't think it was just that. All the stuff ya did before helped, I reckon." he mumbled and grabbed some cheese cubes and some grapes from the tray.

"What did you think about being tied up? Did you get into it at all?"

"Hm." he shrugged while he chewed, not quite knowing how to reply.

"It bad if I say I don't wanna do that no more? Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad or nothin' and I don't mind you takin' charge, 't was kinda hot, but I think I like it better without bein' tied up. That okay?" he squinted at her, hoping she wouldn't be offended, but he was met by a gentle smile.

"Of course that's okay, baby. I'd never want you to do something you aren't comfortable with. We tried and I'm grateful that you let me try. It's not for you, so we won't do it again, that's totally fine, honey." She leaned over and kissed his lips. "Thank you for trying."

"So what's my reward?" he remembered that she hadn't told him yet.

"We're gonna try something else tonight. Something we've been practicing for..." she smirked when he saw his eyes widen.

"For real? You'll let my take yer ass tonight?"

"We'll try. It's why I wore you out a little first. You said you were barely in when you came when you did it with that other girl. Maybe tonight you'll be able to enjoy it a bit longer. You up for it?" she grinned when she saw the excitement on his face.

"Ya bet yer sweet little ass I'm up for it. Damn woman, I don't deserve ya." he unconsciously began eating a little faster, eager to get started and finally making his big fantasy come true.

####### ####### #######

Half an hour later it was Teddy who was grabbing the headboard with white knuckles. Daryl's hands were kneading her sensitive breasts, letting his thumbs play with her hard nipples, while his head was buried between her legs. With the very tip of his tongue he licked her clit with torturously slow strokes, from bottom to top, from bottom to top and again and again, then two circles, a firm suck, a few long licks with a flat tongue and then it was tiny little licks, faster and faster until her hips rose off the bed and she ground her pussy against his face. That's when he removed one hand from her breast and brought it to her opening to gather some of her liquid heat on his fingers. He started preparing her for the main event, slowly opening her up for him using only one finger first until she gave him the go ahead to add the second.

The stretching burn was only unpleasant for two very short seconds before she remembered to relax and open herself up for him. Then it immediately turned into intense pleasure, especially since he kept sucking on her clit. She rolled her hips, urging him to move his fingers, showing him that she could take it. Daryl released her from his mouth when he started to move his fingers. Pleasure tended to dull the pain and sometimes made it impossible to notice that something might have been a bit too much. He didn't want her to pay the price after, because they had both been too caught up in their pleasure to realize that they should have gone slower.

He gently rested his chin on her mound and paid attention to her response as he started twisting his fingers inside of her, slowly moving them in and out and scissoring them to get her used to being stretched. He did it patiently for several minutes, stroking her body with his free hand to keep her relaxed and placing little kisses wherever he could reach.

"More." she moaned after a while, and Daryl brought the third finger into play.

"You doin' okay, sweetheart?" he asked when she took several deep breaths and he felt her constricting around his fingers as she tried to adjust to the wider girth stretching her now.

"Yeah, all good. It's just always that first moment,... Okay, you can move them." he felt her relax again and continued working his fingers in and out of her. He moved his mouth back to her clit, but before he could do anything Teddy stopped him. "No, wait. I wanna cum when you're inside of me. These suckers are always so intense, I'll only be able to take one."

"Okay." he murmured against her skin and went back to nuzzling and kissing her for a few more minutes.

"Let's try." she finally breathed, making Daryl's stomach flutter in anticipation and excitement.

"Sure? And I mean absolutely sure, baby girl?"

"Yeah. It's time."

"Okay." he was suddenly nervous, like it was his first time all over again, and in a way it was. "You wanna stay on your back, babe?"

"Yeah, I think it's better for the first time. And I wanna be able to see you." she smiled and brushed some hair off his forehead before he leaned in to kiss her passionately until the need for oxygen became too big. He quickly lubed himself up and spread some more on her puckered hole, before he positioned himself. He brushed the tip of his hard cock against the tight opening, making his own breath hitch in the process.

"Ya gotta guide me through it alright? Ready?"

"As I'll ever be. Just go slow. I trust you." she pulled her legs up, grabbing the back of her knees to keep herself spread open for him. She took deep breaths, trying to stay as relaxed as possible. When she felt him start to push against her she bore down a little, making herself open up a little and making it easier for him to penetrate her. The stretching burn was familiar, she was able to work through it quickly, it was when the last resistance gave way and he suddenly popped into her quite a bit, that a loud hiss escaped her and she reflexively pressed her hand against Daryl's belly to keep him from sliding him further.

He stilled instantly, even though he felt like his brain was melting from the searing hot pleasure that was rushing through his veins. There were no words for what he felt. It was so much tighter and so much hotter in there, it was driving him insane with lust.

"Babe? You okay?" he bit out between gritted teeth. The urge to thrust was overwhelming. Everything inside of him screamed to start moving, to claim her ass, make her his completely and make them both cum hard.

"I'm good." she promised under her breath. "Go deeper, but slow. Nice and slow. I know it's tough..."

"Fuck darlin', don't cha worry bout me. Goddamn you're fucking amazing. Ya feel so good, baby." he murmured as his breathing grew more labored. Sweat broke out on his skin as he forced himself to go as slow as humanly possible. It was a tough fight to go against his instincts, but his willpower paid off, when he felt the last inch of him being engulfed by her incredibly tight heat.

"Oh God,... that's really really good. So full..." Teddy whispered, arousal clearly evident in her voice and it made Daryl shudder and fight to hang on to his control. "Baby? Do that thing where you barely pull out of me and just,... I don't know,.. kinda bump me? Know what I mean?"

"I know." Daryl bit out and nodded frantically. He was panting like he had just finished a marathon. He shifted his position a little to have better control over his thrusts, his arms were shaking as he placed them on each side of her head, to support his weight on his hands. He lowered his head and pressed a kiss against her forehead, then one on the tip of her nose, before he pushed up again, not wanting to crush her belly. Their eyes locked and they each nodded as they were ready to go.

Daryl carefully pulled out less than an inch before he slid back in, grinding his pelvis into her, testing the waters. Teddy gasped, followed by a lusty moan. "Oh God, Daryl... no idea... more... oh God... faster."

She would never know what her reactions to all of this were doing to him. He wouldn't be able to describe it even if his life depended on it. It was more than just a rush, the lust was hammering inside of every single fiber of his being with its own strong pulse. It was robbing him of his thoughts and his breath and the only thing he could focus on was the mind-blowing pleasure and that primal possessiveness that flared up stronger than ever. She was giving herself to him in every way possible, she was truly his and the product of their union was growing in her belly. All his and he would protect what's his with his life.

He growled incoherently when he started to build up a rhythm. He soon dared to pull out a little more, slam back in a little harder and faster encouraged by her moans. Teddy licked her fingers and let her hand trail between their bodies. She was sure Daryl wouldn't hold out long and who could blame him, so she made sure to be right there with him.

"Oh fuck..." she moaned when the now familiar intense heat started to spread through her loins almost instantly. She rubbed herself faster, eager to get that orgasm she's been craving all afternoon. "Faster baby, please. I'm so damn close."

Daryl's eyes rolled back into his head and his knees buckled when she clenched her muscles around him. "Good fucking Lord!" He'd never felt anything like it, she was clamping down on him so hard that it was just on that sweet line between pleasure and pain, sending him racing towards his next climax. It took only a couple of more thrusts for both of them to cum. Her release triggered his and he collapsed on his forearms as he pressed himself into her hard one last time. They were a mass of shivering, panting flesh as they rode out their aftershocks. Daryl soon pulled out carefully, not able to support his body anymore, and he fell on his side of the bed in a boneless, still panting heap, as Teddy let her legs drop back on the mattress and rolled to her side into a more comfortable position.

They joined hands and squeezed tightly as sleep threatened to overcome the both of them this time. Daryl's eyes opened for a short moment, looking at her with a smile on his lips. "Thank you." he pulled their linked hands up to his mouth and dropped a kiss on the back of her hand, before his eyes fell shut again.

"No, thank you." Teddy murmured squeezed his hand once more, before she let sleep win and drifted off into slumber.

####### ####### #######

Two more weeks passed and at 21 weeks, Teddy was now already halfway through her pregnancy. Daryl couldn't keep his hands off of her, and not only in a sexual way. He loved rubbing his hands over her curves and especially over her rounded belly, and he did so frequently. It was his personal little ego boost. He did this, he'd knocked her up. That was his baby daughter in there. He couldn't wait to meet her, but that event was still another 20 weeks away. Before that happened, they would have to move and get the nursery in their new house ready.

With some help from Bernadette, who had used one of her many connections, they had found a small house close to her and Gerald's. It wasn't their dream house, but it would do. It had the extra room they needed for Little Turtle and a nice backyard. It still pained Daryl when he thought about the backyard of the cabin, which consisted of a hot tub smack in the middle of the Chattahoochee Forest, but hey, this one was nice, too. Enough for a little barbecue every now and then.

Today it was family dinner time again and everyone was looking forward to having little Johnny and his parents there, too. He was almost nine weeks old, and even though nobody would admit it, everybody was a bit tense, because this was the age when Milo had unexpectedly died. Out of the two of them, especially Billy found himself waking up and checking on his son several times a night, when he wasn't crying for milk, just to make sure he was still breathing.

"I just wake up. Like, really startled. My heart's beating real fast and I feel like something's wrong and I go over to his crib and check his breathing." Billy told everybody how it's been for him the past couple of nights, while they were waiting for Teddy. She had gotten held up with a patient who'd come in at the last minutes, needing stitches.

"It's understandable, Billy, but you have to try to relax." Gerald told his son, while he made silly faces at his grandson, who was currently comfortably cuddled up against Uncle Daryl's shoulder, coaxing a toothless smile from Johnny. "It's not good for you to worry like that. And it's not good for him either. Babies pick up on their parents' distress."

"I know that, but what can I do? I still remember that call. When she told me he was just gone. Still fucking chills me to the bone." Billy rubbed his tired eyes, while Maggie laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. She was worried about John, but it was within the normal range and not nearly as worried as Billy was. No matter how often they talked about it, though, he was still on edge.

"Maybe you should go with yer sister to see her shrink. Really helps her." Daryl suggested while he shifted Johnny in his arms and smiled down at him. Everybody loved to watch him handling the baby, because it looked damn adorable and also they loved seeing how fascinated Johnny seemed to be with Daryl. He never let his uncle out of his sight, whenever he was around and kept staring and smiling at him with amazement in his big blue eyes. They couldn't wait to see him with his own daughter, it was bound to make hearts melt big time.

"That might be a good idea." Gerald agreed with Daryl. "She is really doing a lot better since she's been back in therapy. She talks to me a lot, too. I can only offer you the same, Billy. You can call me any time."

"Yeah..." Billy said dismissively, not thinking that talking to his father would help anything at all. The relationship was strained at best, pretty much always has been. "Maybe... we'll see."

"You should talk to Teddy about it." Maggie suggested quietly. "She's the only one who really understands."

"True." Billy nodded in agreement.

"Oh, we are going to have some fun tonight." Bernadette announced and waved an old VHS cassette tape in the air. "Your father found this while cleaning out his office. I forgot we had this, it is the cutest recording of Teddy and Billy when they were seven years old."

"Oh for God's sakes, Mom. Don't make us watch that. It's always embarrassing." Billy groaned, wondering which tape they had found.

"No, it's a sweet one, I promise. Your father cried when we watched it the other day."

"He cries at freaking everything." Billy muttered darkly, earning an elbow to his ribs from his wife.

"So do you!"

"Yeah, guess who I got it from." Billy rubbed the sore spot and glowered at his wife for hitting him.

"Oh stop it you two." Bernie admonished them with a roll of her eyes. "It's the one where we secretly filmed how you consoled Teddy when she had night terrors."

"Well, then it's definitely embarrassing for me." Billy sighed and made a face.

"Night terrors. Ain't that like bad nightmares?" Daryl asked as he evaded Johnny's uncoordinated hands as he tried to grab his uncle's hair.

"It's a bit different than a nightmare. Nightmares cause feelings of dread and fear and people usually wake straight up and start to calm down. During night terrors the person seems awake, but they are usually unresponsive to communication, they have physical symptoms and they are more likely to thrash around and lash out. Billy had scratches and black eyes more than once when he tried to get her out of it." Gerald explained.

For a minute Daryl thought about how fucked up it seemed, that instead of helping their daughter, they rather taped the whole ordeal and let their son take care of it for them. But he already knew that Gerald and Bernadette hadn't been the best parents to Teddy and Billy when they'd been younger, and he hoped they would make way better grandparents.

"Can our Little Turtle get that from Teddy?"

"Studies suggest that night terrors might be partly hereditary."

"So yeah?" Daryl sighed, hoping that their daughter wouldn't have to suffer from that shit.

"Maybe. But then again, maybe not. It's not too common. Don't worry." Gerald smiled. "Ah, speaking of the devil."

"Oh boy, what did I do this time?" Teddy wondered out loud as she entered the room.

"Nothing yet, but the night is still young and we'll get to watch an 'awesome' video later. Hi." Billy enveloped his sister in a hug and kissed her cheek, before he put his hands on her belly and rubbed his thumbs over it. "How's my niece today?"

"Working out nonstop, that's what it feels like." Teddy hugged Maggie, before she walked over to Daryl with a big smile. "Uhhhh who do we have here? My sweet little JR." Teddy held her hair away from her face as she leaned down and placed three big kisses on Johnny's chubby cheek, making the little boy smile even wider. "Oh, someone's a bit smelly. Let's get you a clean diaper, sweetheart." She took him out of Daryl's arms, shifting him into a football hold with practiced ease and carried him and the diaper bag over to the dining room table. Daryl looked at his wife's retreating back with a comical expression. She had totally forgotten to greet him over her joy to see her nephew.

"Yeah, that's what babies do, Daryl. Better get used to it." Gerald laughed at Daryl's expression.

"Teddy! We are about to eat on that table!" Bernadette complained, but Teddy just scoffed in response.

"Relax, it's not like he's pooping all over the place. I put a pad on it and I've done this before, remember?"

"That woman is going to be the death of me." Bernadette sighed dramatically.

"Funny, she says the same thing about you." Billy snickered.

"William, watch your mouth." Bernadette pinched his arm, making her son cry out.

"Oooowww! What the fuck is it with all the violence tonight?"

"Oh don't be such a drama queen, I barely touched you. Now help your sister and dispose of that diaper, before I introduce my tea time sandwich to you. Egg Salad."

"God..." Billy moaned and shuddered at the mental image. "Disgusting."

They finally had dinner once Teddy was done changing Johnny, and only after she had wiped down the table at her mother's request. After dessert they were ushered back into the living room to watch the tape.

Daryl was glad that there wasn't too much to see, thankfully they hadn't taped Teddy's attack, only how Billy had tried to calm her down. Seeing his wife as a little girl, crying inconsolably after a nightmare, tugged at his heartstrings more than enough. He didn't think he would have been able to stand watching the whole ordeal. Her parents kept saying that Billy had always been the only one to get through to her, but Daryl still thought it wasn't right of them to just stand there and watch and even film for fuck's sake.

So they watched little Billy in his Batman-pajamas, having his arms wrapped tightly around his sister, who was shaking as she cried against her brother's neck. He patted her hair gently and a little awkwardly, as if he was unsure of himself and rocked her a little.

"Here it comes..." Billy moaned and hid his face in his hands, because at that point little Billy in the video started singing Cat Steven's "Wild World" to Teddy.

Hormonal adult Teddy cried while she watched. She didn't remember those nights, a common occurrence after night terrors, but that video had always shown her, that her brother had been there for her during those moments. He had been so cute. Wild World had been her favorite song back then, their nanny, who'd been a big Cat Stevens fan, had played it often for them. The cutest part was, that Billy had never been able to remember the lyrics right, so he'd made some up as he went or just kept humming through the parts he couldn't remember. It had everybody laughing, just Maggie was sharing some tears with her sister-in-law over her cute husband.

"You were so cute. I'm glad they taped it at least once, or I never would have known." Teddy smiled and wiped her eyes with her sleeves. Billy returned the smile and wrapped both his arms around Teddy's shoulders.

"For you, I'd do it again." he hugged her close and kissed the top of his head. "Love you, Teddy Bear."

"Love you, too, Billy Goat."

####### ####### #######

The next week turned out to be a bit stressful, especially for Teddy. She and Daryl had begun to gradually move into their new house bit by bit, so their nights were full of packing boxes, picking out paint and wallpaper and so on and so on. In addition to that, Gerald had finally agreed to update their computer system at work, to make keeping files a bit easier. Unfortunately some data had gotten lost and now they had to stay at work late in order to feed the data into the system manually.

Teddy was tired beyond belief. She'd had nightmares again the past couple of nights, which she assumed had been brought on by stress. Today she'd had the inexplicable feeling that something had been wrong and she had been thankful that her father had been by her side all day and had even performed an ultrasound during their lunch break, to confirm that her daughter was doing well. She had just been a bit sleepy, but upon shaking Teddy's belly a bit, Little Turtle had woken right up and had gone back to boxing and kicking, much to Teddy's relief. She would be so glad when that damn move was over and done with and they could start to get everything for their daughter ready.

"I'm done with mine. How far did you get?" she asked yawning, as she entered her father's office that night.

"I guess I have about ten more to go." Gerald said while he squinted at the screen. Teddy was able to type much faster than him. He preferred to write everything down by hand, he was just old school like that.

"Give me half and we can both get out of here in the next hour."

"No, you should go home, Teddy. Rest a bit." Gerald waved her off.

"Nope, we are in this together. Come on." while she took five of his files, she spotted the resume she'd been studying earlier in the day. "Did you check out Dr. Wesley's resume yet?"

"I skimmed it. Didn't have the time to read through it properly yet, but he looks promising." Gerald murmured while he hammered his fingers down on the keyboard, like he'd have to literally punch the letters into the computer.

"He does. He's got a lot of GP experience. I think he'd be a great successor for you and the best thing is that you can take him for a nice long test drive during my maternity leave."

"That's true, that will be a very good thing,... see how good he is, not just medically but also with the people around here."

Gerald was definitely going to retire once Teddy came back from maternity leave, so they were looking at new doctors to take his place. He or she would start a couple of weeks before Teddy's due date and work in her place to help out Gerald, while she stayed at home with her daughter for a couple of weeks.

"Exactly. Alright, I'll get on these now." Teddy took the files and went back to her own office to get the rest of the work done.

It was after 10 pm when they were finally done and left the practice. Teddy was yawning up a storm as soon as the fresh, cool night air hit her, causing Gerald to chuckle.

"You should have left when I told you to. Going straight to bed now, aren't you?"

"Oh yes. You bet I will. Daryl is probably pacing the apartment, waiting for me to come home so he can crash as well. Want me to drive you home?"

"No, you go ahead. I'll walk just like every day in the past 17 years or your mother will get on my about not having moved enough today." Gerald laughed.

"I don't know how you stand her every day."

"Practice, dear. Now get home safe." he smiled and kissed her cheek. He crouched a little and rubbed her belly affectionately. "Good night, little turtle. I love you."

"God, not you, too..." Teddy rolled her eyes in amusement, when Gerald called his granddaughter by the nickname Daryl had given her.

"Love you, too, Teddy."

"Yeah, yeah... bye Daddy." she waved a little and then looked down at the phone in her hand. "Ah, that's Daryl now." she waved at her father again while she accepted the call and walked around the house to get to the small parking lot where she had left her car.

"Hey baby. I'm sorry, took longer than expected."

"How much longer?" Daryl sounded as tired as she felt.

"I'm on my way. Walking to my car right now."

"Good. Feeling better?"

"Yeah, the ultrasound really helped me calm down again. She's doing just fine. She was just sleeping more today. It's nothing unusual, but you know how it is. She's usually so active, like clockwork..."

"Yeah, so much that ya start worrying when she sleeps in." Daryl chuckled.

"Exactly."

"Alright. See ya in a couple minutes then. Drive safe, 'kay?"

"I will. See you in a few." Teddy hung up and put the phone in her purse, stopping to rummage through it to find her keys. Suddenly she heard something weird. She lifted her head and squinted her eyes in concentration as she tried to listen more closely. They were downtown, there were the usual traffic noises, someone was honking, someone seemed to be speeding, nothing new really. What made her frown were the people shouting and causing some sort of commotion on the streets. Probably another bar fight. She should get in her car and go home, she was pregnant and tired and had a lot to do the other day, but the doctor in her won the fight. If someone was injured she just had to help. She sighed and tossed the keys back into her purse and went back the way she came, rounding the corner and turning left to the front of the building. She was almost back at the front door of the practice, not too far from the bar, when she noticed people standing in the street about 200 feet away from her.

"Good Lord, I am too tired for this shit." She sighed, but she kept walking anyway.

The closer she got, the more chaotic the whole scene seemed to get. People were yanking and pulling at her and screaming at her. She couldn't make out what people were saying, the cacaphony of all the different voices was making her head hurt. Annoyed she shook off the grasping hands that were holding her, only to be grasped and yanked into another direction by others. She stumbled and fell to her knees and was just about to yell at the person who had been pulling at her, when she noticed the reason for all the chaos; the mangled and bloody body of her father.

"It was Old Harvey Stevenson! He must have been drunk again! I saw it all happening. Hit him at full speed, dragged him down the street all the way to here." Someone was shouting, but Teddy didn't even hear it. All she heard was her own blood rushing through her ears.

"Daddy..." she whispered, before adrenalin made her jump into action. She crawled over to his body and tried feeling for a pulse and a heartbeat. She saw all the blood, she saw that a big portion of his skull was missing, she saw broken bones sticking out, she saw his neck having been torn open and she saw his lifeless blue eyes, she knew that he was already gone, but she was in denial and started doing CPR anyway.

"Come on. You have to come back. You can't leave yet. Don't you want to meet your granddaughter? She and Johnny want to play with you. Use you as their personal jungle gym,... you're giving up your office for them, remember? Your job, too... come on, Daddy, please. Please, come back." she sobbed and cried, but it was of no use. He had been dead upon impact.

Her father was gone.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. I know a lot of you are very upset and I am not doing much better, trust me. This decision was not an easy one and it wasn't a spur of the moment thing either. I've been thinking about it for about 8 weeks, I mulled it over a thousand times, but it had to be done to get the ending I want and open the door to the sequel. I needed a catalyst for Teddy to change her life completely and this is what my mind came up with. I know there will be readers who will say that this could have been achieved differently and I guess that's true, but this is what my crazy mind believed to be the right course of action.
> 
> That being said, I wanted to let you know that after this chapter, there will probably be only one or two more before Jasper is finished and we head into the sequel. For those who don't have an account and aren't following this story, I will reveal the title of the sequel in the last chapter, so you can find it better in the search section.
> 
> ####### ####### #######

Chapter 35

She was taking too long to get home. Daryl knew that it only took her five minutes to get home from work whenever she went by car. They had hung up ten minutes ago, she should have been home by now. He tried calling her, but there was no answer. He waited two more minutes and tried again, but still, no answer. The images of her last accident popped back up inside his head and he didn't waste any more time. He slammed his feet into his boots, grabbed his keys and his wallet and left the apartment to head to his truck. Other people might think he was overreacting, but he wasn't taking any chances, he had too much to lose.

He turned into the street where the practice was located in no time at all, and as soon as he had, he knew that something very bad had happened. All the way down the street there were ambulances, police cars and a big crowd surrounding the whole scene. It all had the blood in his veins ice over as his heart slammed against his ribcage at a maddeningly fast pace. He got as close as possible and got out of the car, just in time to see the coroner's van pull up.

“No, no, no, no, no....” he whispered while he experienced a weird sensation inside his head. It felt his brain had been on overload and had caused a short circuit. He stopped for a split-second to shake himself out of the daze the sight of the van had caused, before he frantically began to look for his wife.

“Teddy?” he shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd. He didn't even notice how people were looking at him and how they willingly moved out of the way. He reached the police tape, his eyes widening in horror when he saw a body laying in the middle of the street, covered by a white, blood-stained sheet. “Teddy?” he gasped as his breath got caught in his throat, his world already starting to fall apart around him.

“She's over there. By the ambulance.” A woman had mercy on him and pointed him in the direction of his wife. In this case it was helpful for once that everybody knew who he was and who he was married to. It was why he also wasn't met by any resistance from the police officers, when he ducked underneath the tape and set off running towards the ambulance to find his wife. He was beyond relief when he found her sitting in the back of the ambulance with a paramedic by her side, who was checking her blood pressure.

“Teddy!” he shouted towards her, noticing her tear-stained face when she lifted her head to look in his direction. She started crying even harder when she saw him, not making his worries ease up at all. He reached her, barely getting a chance to look her over before she clung to him, sobbing hard into his neck. Daryl hugged her close, letting his hands roam her body real quick to make sure that she was in one piece. She seemed okay. Why was she crying like this? “Darlin'? Are ya hurt? What's going on?”

Teddy couldn't speak, she just burrowed herself deeper into her husband's embrace while she cried her eyes out. Daryl felt utterly confused and helpless, and he looked up at the paramedic, hoping to get some answers from him, since his wife wasn't about to give him any.

“You the husband?” the young man asked Daryl, who nodded in reply. “I'm sorry for your loss.”

Daryl almost keeled over with Teddy in his arms. Even though he had seen the body in the streets, he wasn't able to make the connection. In his mind there was only one explanation for Teddy's tears and distraught state. “Our baby? She lose it?”

“No. I don't think she did, but she should get checked out at the hospital.” the paramedic replied, before he pointed back behind Daryl towards the dead body. “That's her father under there.”

Daryl had heard the paramedic, but he had a hard time understanding the meaning of those words. They kept echoing inside his head for a while, as his brain slowly caught up.

That's her father under there... Her father... Gerald... Under that bloody sheet... Dead body... Gerald is under there... Gerald is dead... Teddy is crying, because Gerald is dead. His surrogate father was dead. NO!!! This can't be happening. Please no. It's too soon for him. He hasn't even met his granddaughter. He barely had any time with his grandson, when he was so fucking excited to finally be a grandpa. He was going to retire, mainly because he wanted to be a full-time grandpa and watch after Little Turtle with Bernie while Teddy and Daryl were at work. He had that room planned. He was getting everything ready for the babies. God, the baby... please let Teddy get through this okay and let their daughter survive.

'Whoever is up there... please don't let me lose them, too.' Daryl sent a quick prayer as the realization of what was going on had finally sunken in. He suddenly felt cold and like he was shaking on the inside. He didn't know what to say to help her calm down. What do you say to someone who just lost their father? A father that wasn't a complete jackass most of the time? A father that she had loved with all her heart? There were no words to make this better. He felt like his own heart was crumbling painfully, he couldn't imagine what she felt like right now. Tears stung his eyes, but he forced them away for the moment, knowing he had to keep as much of a clear head as possible, but still, his voice was cracking when he spoke.

“Darlin'? We have to go. We have to go to the hospital to check on you and our baby girl.”

“No. He'll be all alone. We can't leave him with all these people. I don't want him to be alone.” Teddy sobbed brokenly against his shoulder. Daryl looked up at the sky, taking deep breaths and blinking a new batch of tears away at her words.

“They are taking him away just now. We can't do nothin' for him anymore, darlin'. We have to make sure our daughter's okay. Please?” he had cradled her face in his hands and had made her look up at him while he gazed into her eyes imploringly. “Please, Teddy. Let's not lose our Little Turtle, too.”

She nodded, but instead of walking, she clung to him again. Daryl didn't miss a beat as he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to his truck.

“The fuck y'all lookin' at? Go home, ain't nothin' for y'all ta see 'round here.” he yelled at the staring crowd, making at least some of the people look down in shame. He couldn't believe that some people had the nerve to take pictures and videos of the scene in front of them. One person was at least helpful enough to open the passenger side door to his truck for him, so he could carefully deposit Teddy inside. He gave the young man a grateful nod, before he jogged over to the driver's side to get into the car himself. He took one last look at the black body bag they were lifting onto a stretcher, silently saying goodbye, before he turned his truck around and headed for the hospital.

####### ####### #######

“What's taking them so damn long?” Daryl was pacing the floor in front of the hospital bed Teddy was resting on.

“They are trying to find an available ultrasound machine.” Teddy murmured quietly, her voice hoarse and scratchy from crying too much.

“You fuckin' tellin' me a hospital can't afford ta have one in every room? Fuck that.” he spat and stomped to the door of the room they were in and yanked it open. “Hey! Hey you!”

“Daryl? Can you please just come over here and be with me?” Teddy's sad voice kept him from yelling at the hospital personnel any more. His broad shoulders slumped, a deep sigh escaping him while he rubbed his tired eyes. He walked back to the bed, grabbing a chair on his way, and sat down right next to her head, facing her.

“I'm sorry.” he mumbled as he tenderly brushed some hair behind her ear. “What happened? Thought ya were almost to yer car...”

“I was. I was looking for my keys when I heard people shouting near the bar. I went back to check if somebody was injured... People were grabbing me and pulling at me. I fell and that's when I saw him.” Teddy's voice broke as fresh tears spilled out of her eyes. “It was bad, Daryl. It was really really bad. His injuries... God,... he got torn apart. His head... it was barely hanging on by a thread... part of his skull was gone...”

All color drained from Daryl's face as very vivid images played out inside his head. He could barely stand it. To think that Teddy had actually seen it... Shit. He'd be surprised if she'd ever be able to sleep right again. He quickly interrupted her before she was able to tell him more. “Ya fell?”

“Just on my knees. Not hard.” she took a shaky breath and wiped the tears from her face. “They said it was a drunk driver. Police took statements. They knew who it was, but I can't remember the name right now.”

“Ain't important right now.” Daryl pressed a soft kiss against her lips and was surprised when she clutched his hair between her fingers and pressed him to her a little harder, deepening the kiss.

“I love you so much, Daryl. My mom will just die. She lost the love of her life tonight. I can't imagine ever losing you like that. Just the thought is damn near killing me.” she pressed out between urgent kisses as she started crying again.

“Ya won't. Never. Ain't never gon' get rid of me, darlin'.” he promised fiercely. And even though they both knew that he could never ever promise her that for real, it was just what she needed to hear in that moment.

“Shit, my mom. We have to call Billy. She's all alone with Rosario. The police has probably notified her already. She'll need him there.” Teddy looked around for her purse, but didn't see it anywhere. She must have left it at the scene of the accident.

“I'll call him.” Daryl volunteered, but Teddy shook her head no.

“It has to be me. I'm his sister.” she insisted and held her hand out for his phone. Daryl handed it over reluctantly, wishing she wouldn't have to do that. He had no idea how Billy would react. He and Gerald had never been on the best of terms, not since he'd known the family. They'd been civil for the most part, but barely talked to each other and it had been obvious that there had been a lot of tension there.

####### ####### #######

It was never a good thing to get an unexpected call late at night or very early in the morning. Billy knew that better than anyone. The call to inform him that Teddy had gotten beaten up by one of her ex-boyfriends had come late at night. The one that had informed him about Milo's passing had been very early in the morning, and ever since then a flash of fear went through him, whenever the phone rang at ungodly hours. Today was no different. He was just about to get into bed after checking on his son, when he saw the display of his phone blink to life on the nightstand. A shudder went through him when he saw Daryl's name on the display and he mentally tried to prepare himself, because he knew Daryl would never call close to midnight just for kicks.

“Please don't tell me she lost the baby.” Billy sighed and steeled himself for the worst.

“It's me.” Teddy tried to hold it together, but hearing her brother's voice made her emotional yet again.

“Teddy? You don't sound good. Please don't tell me she's gone.” Tears were already starting to well up in his eyes, knowing that nothing good was about to come out of her mouth.

“No she's not gone. We're at the hospital to have a doctor check on her, though.”

“So something is wrong?”

“Billy,... What I'm about to say...I'm not joking around, okay?” she cried while she gripped the edge of the bed hard, like it would help her keep a grip on herself.

“Teddy, you're scaring me. What the hell is it?”

“Daddy got hit by a car outside the practice. He's gone, Billy. He died.” Teddy's voice cracked again, saying the words hurt like getting stabbed in the heart. Daryl wasn't faring much better as he looked down at the floor and blinked the tears away once again, refusing to break down in tears in this goddamn hospital.

Billy dropped down on the bed like a sack of potatoes as his mind started to comprehend what she had said. Teddy let him process the news in silence, but her heart started hurting even more, when she heard him sobbing quietly on the other end of the line. She knew that the relationship between Billy and their father hadn't been great, but she also knew that Billy still loved him, despite the grudge he'd been holding against him for years.

“He's dead?”

“Yes.” Teddy replied regretfully and wiped at her eyes again. It started to hurt as the skin was getting sore, but she couldn't care less about that right now. She just couldn't stop crying.

“Did he suffer?”

“No. I think it was very quick.”

“You think???”

“He was already gone when I got there, Billy. We said bye, I went to the parking lot, talking to Daryl on the phone for two minutes. I heard people screaming when we hung up, that's when I went to check. He was already gone by then. It was quick.” She left out the description of their father's injuries this time. She wouldn't tell anyone else. She hadn't wanted to tell Daryl, but once she had started talking, it had just slipped out, but this time she was more careful. Neither Billy nor Bernadette needed that visual that Teddy had had.

“Billy...” Teddy tried to get through to him while he kept crying. “I need you to come to Jasper and be with Mom. Daryl and I are still at the hospital and she'll need you.”

“Oh God, Mom... How is she?”

“I don't know. Daryl took me straight to the hospital. I'm not sure if she knows already. Please hurry and go see her? We need to get our baby checked out. I fell and-”

“I'm on my way. I'll ask Merle or Shawn to drive me. I-I can't...”

“We'll join you once we're done here.” Teddy promised and looked up at the door that had opened. “I have to go, Billy. The doctor is here.”

“Okay.” he hiccuped. “I'll see you in a few. I hope everything's alright with her. I love you.”

“I love you, too. See you in a few.” Teddy hung up and was surprised to see Dr. Hainesworth entering the room. The nurse had told Teddy that it was her day off.

“They called me in.” Dr. Hainesworth answered Teddy's unspoken question.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for them t-”

“It's okay, Dr. Dixon. I know you didn't ask them to do it, but I'm glad they did call me in.” The older doctor cleared her throat and looked at a loss for words and Teddy realized that the news had already spread. “I am shocked, I don't know what to say. I'm very sorry for your loss. I've known your father for years. Ever since your family moved here. He will be missed.”

“Yeah,... he will be missed for sure.” Teddy mumbled. Dr. Hainesworth then took them up to the maternity ward to do a thorough exam and ultrasound. She asked Teddy about the fall and if she had been experiencing any pain or cramping since then. Thankfully she felt fine, except for the fact that her father was no longer among them. The doctor soon finished up the manual exam and took her place in front of the ultrasound machine to check what was going on inside Teddy's baby belly. Teddy and Daryl both hold their breath in anticipation and both prayed for good news.

“Placenta is intact. Bloodflow is good. Your daughter's heartbeat is strong. A little fast, but good and strong.” the doctor's words made them breathe again, relieved that the little one was okay. Dr. Hainesworth smiled at the screen, before she turned her attention to Teddy and Daryl. “She is sleeping peacefully. I switched to 3D, would you like to take a look?”

“Please.” Teddy nodded eagerly. Seeing their daughter was exactly what they both could use right now.

Dr. Hainesworth turned the screen towards them and let them watch their sleeping daughter for a moment. Daryl squinted at the screen, having to get used to the unusual image first, before he was able to make something out clearly. After a moment he smiled and pointed at Little Turtle's head. The little girl was resting her cheek on her little hands.

“That her hands? She usin' her hands as a pillow?”

“She is.” Teddy smiled as she looked at her daughter's face, which was still a little blurry.

“Jus' like you do when you're on the sofa, darlin'. Already takin' after her momma.” Daryl smiled and squeezed Teddy's hand tightly.

“But it looks like she got your nose, baby. See that?” Teddy outlined the nose on the screen with her index finger, eliciting a proud smile from her husband.

“Poor girl. Let's hope the rest looks like you.”

“Might just happen. Looks like she's got my huge eyes.” Teddy laughed a little. “But it's still a little too early to tell. She's got quite some more growing to do until we can recognize her features more clearly.”

"Yeah. She's so damn tiny. Let's hope she'll catch up soon.” Daryl sighed. That she was so small still made him worry a little.

“She will. Don't worry.” Teddy reassured him and pulled his hand up to her mouth to kiss it gently.

Dr. Hainesworth watched the couple with a little smile. She was glad that their daughter was able to make them a bit happier on this horrible night. After a couple of minutes she cleared her throat and re-joined the conversation.

“I know you will be going through tough times in the next couple of weeks, but this...” she pointed at the screen and their daughter. “... this is what you have to focus on. I know it sounds harsh, but life goes on and that little life inside of you needs you to take care of it. I wish I could put you on bedrest for the next two weeks to make sure that you take it easy and rest a lot, but I know it's impossible for you to do that. You have a lot to take care of. Please promise me that you'll still try to take it easy and relax as much as you can. You have to stay as happy and as healthy as possible under these difficult circumstances.”

“I'll watch out for her. Make sure she listens.” Daryl promised the doctor, who nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. Well, everything looks good. You can go home and be with your family now. Once again, I'm very sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks.” Teddy accepted the paper tissues the doctor was handing her, before she left the room. She wiped the gel off of her belly and tossed the used tissues into the trash can, before she and Daryl left as well and headed to her parents' home.

####### ####### #######

Teddy and Daryl were greeted by a crying Rosario. The woman didn't speak, probably wasn't able to get out a word of English in her grief, and Teddy dreaded facing her mother, thinking the woman had to be a mess. They entered the living room and were taken aback by all the people that were there. Billy hadn't come alone, he'd brought Maggie, Hershel and Merle. Billy and Maggie were crying their eyes out, while Hershel and Merle both wore grief-stricken expressions.

“Everythin' okay with ma niece?” Merle asked right away when he saw his brother and Teddy enter the room.

“Yeah.” Daryl simply nodded and stood next to his older brother, who grasped his shoulder and squeezed it tightly.

“I'm real sorry, princess. He was a good man.”

“Yeah, he was.” Teddy nodded in agreement and watched her own brother approach her. They hugged and cried together quietly for a moment and when she looked over his shoulder, she saw her mother enter the living room. The whole scene suddenly seemed completely surreal. Everyone was sad and/or crying, but her mother was smiling and seemed to be completely composed, just as usual. “Mom...”

“Oh Teddy, Daryl. There you are. Took you long enough. We've been waiting. Why on earth would you get an ultrasound at this ungodly hour? I thought your father did one this morning? How many a day do you need?” she was talking in her everyday lofty manner, like nothing had happened.

“She's in complete denial.” Billy whispered into his sister's ear.

“Obviously.” Teddy sighed deeply.

“She knows that it happened, she acknowledged it, but she acts like it's nothing.”

“That will change soon, and I'm sure it won't be pretty at all. Why did Hershel come?”

“For support. He heard to commotion going on inside the house and he wanted to be here for all of us.” Billy explained while he wiped his cheeks with the sleeve of his flannel.

“That's sweet of him. He's so nice.” Teddy knew she sounded stupid, but she just didn't know what to say. What a fucked up situation.

“Oh Maggie, stop crying. You'll get that pretty face all messed up.” Bernadette admonished Maggie with a smile, making the younger woman shake her head.

“Aren't you sad at all? He was your husband.” Maggie tried to take Bernie's hand, but her mother-in-law just swatted it away.

“I know that, Margaret. Don't treat me like a child. It is going to be okay. This is just life.”

“Nobody is treating you like a child, Bernadette.” Hershel stepped in, trying to calm both women down with his soothing voice and calm manner of speaking. “We are just here to stand by you in this difficult time. We just want to offer comfort and support.”

“You are all acting like it is the end of the world. Tsk.” she rolled her eyes, unknowingly testing the patience of her children. Or maybe she did know exactly what she was doing, she lived for this dramatic stuff.

“Great.” Teddy sighed and turned back to her brother. “What do we do? With her, I mean.”

“We can't leave her alone.” Billy said decisively. “She's gonna crack soon enough and I'm gonna be here when it happens. You should go home, Teddy. Try to get some sleep. We have so much to do come morning.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Go. It'll be alright.” he kissed her cheek and hugged her once more, before he lead her over to Daryl.

“You want us to take you to the farm or do you want to stay with us until morning?” Teddy asked Merle. She was pretty sure that he preferred to be with his brother instead of staying in this house with Bernadette and the rest.

“I'll crash on yer couch. Ain't gon' have ta fight yer big ass pony for it, do I?”

“No, don't worry. She's got her own bed.” Teddy laughed a little and touched his arm for a second. “ Let's go, boys.”

####### ####### #######

They had gone back to the apartment and even though all of them were incredibly tired, nobody was able to sleep yet. All three of them spread out on the big couch, Merle in one corner and Daryl in the other, with his arm wrapped tightly around Teddy's shoulders, pulling her flush against his side. They talked for a while, about everything and nothing, including baby names. They wanted Merle to think of stupid nicknames for the names they had picked so far, but Merle had just shrugged it off, saying:

“She's gonna be a Dixon. Ain't nobody gonna dare call Merle Dixon's niece any names, no matter how stupid her name is.”

Neither Daryl nor Teddy had been able to argue with that statement.

As Daryl had predicted, Teddy barely slept at all. Every time she closed her eyes the image of her horribly injured father popped up, along with a fresh batch of tears. He hated that he had to go to work in the morning and wouldn't be able to support her through everything, but they were already one man short, because Billy would stay home, and Daryl really didn't want to risk getting fired, not with a baby on the way. He was relieved that Merle would be with her when she would go back to her parents' house. He trusted his brother to keep his eye on her and be there for her until he had to go back to the farm with Hershel.

Teddy's prediction concerning her mother had also turned out to be spot on. Some time during the night when Bernadette went to sleep in the bedroom she had shared with her husband for so many years, she had finally realized that he wasn't ever going to sleep next to her again. What had followed hadn't been pretty at all; bone-chilling wails and screams had echoed throughout the house, so full of grief and sorrow, that Billy felt like he would have to throw up from the anxiety his mother's anguished sounds caused inside of him. He spent hours holding her and letting her cry. He was glad that Teddy had gone home, because he was sure the baby inside her belly would have heard the animal-like noises. He was even happier that they had left Johnny with Beth and that he didn't have to witness this either. It was even worse than he could have anticipated and surely would have traumatized the little boy.

Morning soon rolled around and it was time for Billy and Teddy to take the next necessary steps and help their mother to arrange a memorial service. There wouldn't be a funeral, because Gerald had chosen a long time ago, that he wanted to be cremated and that Bernie would keep his ashes in the house, if she survived him. Before she and Merle left the apartment to go see Bernadette, Teddy had already looked up the phone number for the Cremation Society of Georgia and had printed out helpful lists from their website, which detailed all the next steps that would have to be taken and all the documentation and other things they would need to have their father cremated.

Merle was being a perfect gentleman and open and closed the doors and car doors for her, which made her smile a little. He really had changed a lot and everybody was happy about it and hoped that he would never go back to the way he'd been before. As soon as they entered the Robertson residence the depressing atmosphere was very palpable and Teddy knew instantly, that their mother had finally come to terms with what had happened. A tired Billy, with blood-shot and red-rimmed eyes greeted her with a big hug.

“Be glad you weren't here last night. Good God, it was bad. Worse than bad. There are no words.” he sighed and held on to her a little longer, seeking comfort from his slightly older sister.

“I can imagine. I've had to witness it a couple of times when I still worked at the hospital in Seattle.” Teddy rubbed his back comfortingly. “Where is she?”

“Living room, come on.”

They went inside the living room, where Bernadette sat crying silently. Teddy rounded the sofa and went to sit next to her, but was stopped short by her mother's voice.

“Get out. I don't want you here.”

Everyone froze, looking at Bernadette in surprise, especially Teddy.

“Mom...?”

“This is on you. It's all on you.” Bernadette's eyes were almost glowing with anger, while Teddy staggered back, completely shocked by her mother's reaction.

“What? No it isn't.” Teddy muttered confused.

“Come on, Mom. You know that's not right.” Billy tried to diffuse the situation, but Bernadette wouldn't have it.

“But it is. Because of her, he changed that computer system. Because of her they worked late. Because of her he was tired and probably wasn't paying attention. Because of her he got hit by that car and died. Did you even try to save him? Did you do anything? No, you didn't. What in the world are you a doctor for anyway? You can't help anyone. You couldn't save your own son, you couldn't help your own father, you can't even take proper care of your husband, so what the hell CAN you actually do?” Bernadette yelled hysterically, making everyone look on completely paralyzed in shock. Everyone except Merle.

“Hey, you don't know what yer sayin'. Yer grievin' we all get that, but it ain't her fault. She didn't drive that car, did she?” he got between the two women, trying to shield Teddy from her mother's anger.

“She might as well have. It's her fault. Everything is always her fault. All the bad things... it always comes back to her.” Bernadette sobbed.

“Mom, stop it. You can't do this. It's neither true nor fair.” Billy wrapped his arms around Bernadette in an effort to calm her down.

“No...” Teddy finally found her voice again. “No, Billy it's okay. Let her keep going. Everyone, meet the TRUE face of my mother. This is the real Bernadette Robertson, in the flesh. Selfish, arrogant and proud. Always belittling people she thinks are beneath her. Always stirring up shit and always putting blame on others.”

“Teddy don't. Not now.” Billy begged her, knowing that both women were just emotional and didn't really mean what they were saying. They would regret it once they felt better, he was sure of it and he wanted to try to keep it from happening altogether.

“No, you know what? This has been a long time coming, Billy. You do remember our childhood, don't you? She's always hated me.” she turned her attention back on her mother. “But what exactly are you proud of, mother? All this? You didn't work for any of it. Daddy did. You just played pretty, social butterfly, spending your days at the country club, gossiping about others, spreading hate and drama. There is no good in you. Not even a little. Those times when you're nice and caring, that's actually an act, this, right here, is the real you. Daddy was good. He had his faults but he was good. One of his faults was that he loved you so much that he let himself be turned into your personal puppet. He did everything you wanted him to. Don't think I don't know that. You always sent him talk to us, but we knew it was you holding the strings in the background. Sending me away to New York, letting me go through my teenage years without parents? You! Not letting me come home for Christmas? You! Making him fire me for dating Daryl? You! Bad-mouthing me to the people around here? You! You didn't even stop to think that you weren't only hurting me, but you were hurting him and his reputation as well. And those friends you think you have? They aren't your friends. They talk about you behind your back. They can't stand you. They tolerated you for Dad's sake, because you were part of the package. Nobody likes you for you, because you're a horrible, petty, mean-spirited person. You're gonna be alone, because they will turn their back on you now that they no longer have to pretend. I was the same. I merely tolerated you for Daddy's sake, but now that he's not around anymore, I no longer have to. You are out of my life. My father might have died, but it's you who is truly dead to me.”

And with that Teddy pushed the lists into Billy's hands, shot her mother a cold glare and then left and never returned to that house ever again. Merle wanted to go after her, but Billy stopped him.

“No, let me handle it.” he passed a crying Bernie off to Maggie and jogged out of the house. He didn't have to go far, because Teddy hadn't made it too far down the street before she had broken down crying. Billy wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could and kissed her cheek. “She's not really blaming you, Teddy Bear.”

“Yes, she is. You know how she is. You've been there all those years, you know what she is like. You know every single word I said was true.”

“I know. It is the truth, but today wasn't the time to say it. She lost her husband, Teddy.”

“And we lost our father, Billy. She has no right to blame me. She wants to hurt me or she wouldn't have brought up Milo. I'm sorry that I'm not a better person and above that crap she always pulls. I'm sorry I'm not able to take the high road, but this I just couldn't let slide. It just needed out.”

“And by letting it out, you gave her exactly what she wanted. Now she can tell everyone what a horrible daughter she has and that you yelled at her at the time you should have comforted her. She will use it against you, it's what she does.”

“I don't care anymore, Billy. I wasn't kidding. I've never been able to stand her. The way she always provokes us into fighting with her and with each other... No more. I'm done. She's out of my life. For real this time. I couldn't ban her completely while I was in Seattle, because of Dad, but this time she took it too far. I don't ever want to talk to her again.” When Billy looked into his sisters eyes, he knew that she meant it. Bernadette and Teddy had never truly gotten along, just like him and Gerald. It had been a little worse even, maybe because of that female competition thing, he wasn't sure. But he knew that right now there was nothing he could do to change her mind. “I'm sorry, Billy. Go through the lists, call me if you need help with anything, but I can't deal with her anymore. I'll be at the practice. I need to get the new doctor down here as soon as possible. I'm sorry. I am. But I can't...”

“Okay.” he kissed her forehead and hugged her once more. “I get it, it's okay. Do what you have to.” And with that, he let her go.

####### ####### #######

The memorial service was a week later. The funeral home was packed, everyone wanted to pay their respects to the town doctor, but it was impossible to let everyone in. Daryl once again hid his crying behind his sunglasses while he had to say goodbye to the second person, who'd been a father to him, in less than a year. They kept their distance from Bernadette and left as soon as the ceremony was over.

For their inheritance, Billy and Teddy got access to a savings account Gerald had opened the week they had been born. He'd deposited 500 dollars into it every month of their lives, 250 dollars for each kid. He had wanted to give it to them as soon as he would have reached a total of 200,000 dollars. They were only allowed earlier access in case he died before achieving that goal, which unfortunately, he did. They each walked away with a little over 90,000 dollars. Billy got another chunk of money, while Teddy got the medical practice. Everything else went to Bernie.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 36

The week after the memorial they had finally moved into the new house completely and had given up the apartment. They had both been a little wistful that day. The apartment had been their first shared home and it was where they had started their relationship and where they had started to merge their lives together. The new house was nice, but they both knew it just wasn't the right one. It was why they procrastinated unpacking their boxes; a lot of them still littered the floor even after three weeks. It didn't feel like a home and even Daryl no longer felt like setting up the nursery. It was just all wrong.

It was just two days after they had moved in, that Billy had accompanied Daryl home, wanting to talk to him and Teddy about something important. The uncle of Shawn Greene's girlfriend had his own garage, complete with a gas station in the heart of Ellijay, which he was going to sell. The business was quite profitable, but he wanted to retire and none of his daughters had any interest in taking over. Billy had always dreamed of having a business of his own, but he'd always lacked the money, and just like Daryl, he didn't like getting loans from the bank. Now he had the money and he had the opportunity to take over an already well-established and popular business and he wanted Daryl to get in on it with him. Billy's plan was to create kind of their own little family-run business. He would take care of the business end of things and he wanted Daryl to be in charge of the garage. He was the best mechanic Billy knew and he also knew that Daryl would help him in keeping things running smoothly. It also meant a pay raise for Daryl, which made him perk up noticeably.

But it wasn't just that. Working with Billy was nothing new, they've been doing it for five years and they were a great team. He liked working with his brother-in-law and the chance to no longer have to bother with Mike and have their own thing was fantastic. There were only a couple of things that made Daryl hesitate in saying yes right away. One was that the new responsibilities made him kind of nervous. He didn't like being a leader all that much. Having to boss other people around made him a bit nervous, and then there was the money thing again.

"Ain't got no money ta help ya buy this thing, man."

"You kind of do." Billy smiled. He shared a look with Teddy, and she immediately knew what he was talking about. Their inheritance. She didn't have to think twice about it, she smiled back at him and gave him a little nod, showing him, that she'd be okay with his plan. Billy's smile widened before he went on explaining to Daryl what he meant. "Look, I don't need you to pay half of what Stan is asking. I would be paying and owning the lion's share, but I want you to have a stake in it, too. I want our own family business, because that's what we are. The gas station with the small shop alone makes a lot of profit. People need gas, that's just a fact. If you invest in the business with me, you are entitled to a percentage of those profits. It's a nice bonus on top of your paycheck. It's money in the bank for a rainy day. It means being able to provide for your family even if something unexpected comes up. That's what I want for us and our families, Daryl. Not having to worry for once. Okay, your family would be fine either way because of what Teddy makes, but still,... I would really like for us to do this together. All we need is to invest our inheritance."

"That ain't my inheritance money to spend." Daryl stated quickly.

"No, but it's ours, Daryl." Teddy smiled and intertwined their hands. "And I think it's a brilliant idea and that you should do it. We don't need that money for anything else. It would be a good investment and I can see in your eyes that you would love to do it."

"But I don't want ta spend your money, woman. Yer daddy wanted YOU to have it."

"Daryl, I love you and I want this for you. Yes, my father saved up that money for Billy and me, but he loved you like a son. He would have wanted you to take that money and take this chance. He would have wanted me to support you both in this and I will." Teddy argued with him. She would not let him pass up this opportunity.

"I don't know. I wanna do right by him, girl. Ya know that. I don't know about usin' that money-"

"Baby, we're family. And you wouldn't be taking this money away from me. It stays in the family. It's our money and you would invest it in the future family business and in turn provide for us. You would be doing right by him. He'd be proud of the both of you for making it work together." Teddy's eyes started watering while she spoke. She just knew that Gerald would have loved Billy's idea and that he would have been very excited for him and Daryl. She could just imagine his big, proud smile he'd sport if he'd be there with them right now.

"Dad was a great business man. He knew a good opportunity when he saw one and I really think he would have approved of us using the money this way. Right?" Billy said and looked at Teddy questioningly.

"Absolutely." Teddy agreed wholeheartedly.

"Ya sure? Ya don't mind taking all that money and investin' it into this?" Daryl's expression was full of uncertainty when he looked at his wife. He had no idea about how businesses worked and he didn't want her to lose the money if that thing would tank. He would have to trust Billy's judgement on this one and trust him, that this would work out for them.

"I'm all for it. You boys go and get yourself that garage and be your own bosses. God knows you deserve it after slaving away for Mike for years, barely making a buck for all that hard work. It will be great for you, I'm absolutely sure of that."

"We got a deal, Daryl? You gonna be my man in the shop?" Billy asked and held his hand out towards Daryl.

Teddy nodded encouragingly when her husband looked at her again, his eyes asking her if she really wanted this. When he found nothing but enthusiasm on her face, he finally shook Billy's hand. "Alright, deal. But how's this gonna go down? Do I need ta quit right away? And how 'bout when our girl's born? I wanted ta stay home a while. Haven't talked about how long yet, but at least a month."

"You still have some time to talk about it. This whole thing won't happen overnight. I'm gonna use some vacation days and shadow Stan and learn everything there is to learn about that business. Most of his staff will stay on, so don't worry about staying home. No matter what happens, I'll make sure that you can stay with Teddy and your baby for a while." Billy reassured him with a smile. "As soon as the sale is done, I would love for all of us to put our heads together regarding work hours. I don't wanna be like our parents. I don't wanna be the kind of father that only sees his kids on the weekend and maybe an hour at night. I wanna see my son grow up and be there for him when he needs me and I'm sure you feel the same way about your daughter, right?"

"Yeah. Would be good to spend as much time with her as possible. You got anything in mind yet?" Daryl liked what he was hearing. Seemed like Billy was really putting a lot of thought into this.

"Maybe a shift-system or something. I'm not sure yet. That's why I think we should talk about it together. You, me, Maggie and Teddy. I'm sure we'll come up with something. Maybe something like one person gets one afternoon a week off, but works longer on another day or something like that. We'll work on something."

"Alright. Do I gotta do something now? Take care of anythin'?"

"No." Billy shook his head, before a big yawn interrupted his sentence. "Fuck, sorry. Damn exhausted these days. Anyway, you don't have to do anything. I'll take care of everything and keep you posted. Just relax and look forward to the future."

"Sounds good. Wouldn't have been much help with the business shit anyway." Daryl scoffed out a laugh. When he turned his gaze back to Teddy his smile vanished. She was still there physically, but she had that faraway look in her eyes that said that her mind was somewhere else again and that she had tuned out the conversation by now. He'd have to get her up to speed later. He and Billy talked a bit longer, before Billy left and started to get the ball rolling on the whole thing during the next couple of weeks.

####### ####### #######

Those couple of weeks dragged by slowly for Teddy. She went through the motions and did everything she had to do, but she was quiet and distracted a lot. She spent more time inside her own head, than she did talking with Daryl. He understood, but there where things that they would have to talk about very soon or they would be completely unprepared for their daughter's arrival. Teddy was 27 weeks pregnant by now and it wasn't too much longer and they hadn't bought a single item for their daughter yet and it had him a little agitated.

Most nights they spent cuddling on the couch. All four of them. Daryl would have Teddy in his arms and Snoopy curled up on his shoulder, purring loudly against his Daddy's neck, while Roxy spread out her large frame next to them, so she could put her big head in Teddy's lap, often sniffing and nuzzling her momma's swollen belly. They didn't talk much, sometimes not at all, because Teddy would hide out inside herself. He had a ton of questions, but for now he kept them to himself, because he didn't want to crowd and overwhelm her, but they were reaching the point where it would become inevitable. Until then, he would let her be, knowing that her days at work weren't easy and she wasn't done dealing with everything yet.

Things at work really were hard for her. She had hired Dr. Evan Wesley, a 42-year old general practitioner with a lot of experience and an excellent reputation. He was a great doctor and a really nice guy and Teddy was happy that the patients were taking to him well, but it didn't help her own problems. She had hoped things would get easier, that working there would get easier with every day that passed, but it didn't. It got harder instead and she soon found herself dreading going there every morning. On some mornings it got so bad, that it caused stomach cramps, sending poor Daryl into a near panic, thinking the baby might be coming way too soon. It had almost made her laugh. She was grateful for his support through all of it, he gave her space and time to think and held her and told her that everything would be okay, when she needed it. She was also grateful for therapy, it helped her clear her head and her therapist gave her great tools to cope with things and think about what she ultimately wanted out of life.; something Teddy had never really thought about before.

Billy's plan had finally made her think about that, though. He was going after what he wanted; he actually KNEW what he wanted and he was going to get it. She wanted to follow that example. She had realized that she was no longer happy with how things were right now, she was downright depressed on a lot of days and it wasn't just because she was sad about her father. She had realized that things needed to change and she had thought long and hard about it. It had been the main reason for her being so quiet and introverted, she had spent a lot of time thinking about what she wanted in life and how to achieve her new goals and how to tell Daryl of her plans.

One night, when they were all curled up on the couch again, she got the perfect opening, when Daryl couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"I miss you." his raspy voice, that was half-whispering directly into her ear, roused her out of her thoughts. It also made her insides clench with longing, sexual and non-sexual alike. She hadn't even realized how much she was actually missing him as well. She had been so caught up in her own little world, that she had unintentionally shut him out a little. "Think ya might come back from wherever ya are these days soon?" he asked, referring to her spacing out a lot.

"I'm sorry." she turned a little to face him more and placed a quick kiss on is mouth. "Yes, I'm definitely coming back... We actually need to talk about something and you will have to do some thinking after, I guess. It's what I've been thinking about all this time."

Her words worried him a little. Mainly because he had no idea what she was about to bring up and he never liked being unprepared for big talks. Usually he was able to read her pretty well and was able to guess what she wanted to talk about, but this time he had no clue. The only thing he was sure of was, that it wasn't about Little Turtle and her arrival.

"Been three weeks, darlin'. That much time spent thinking, that's gotta be quite a list to talk about by now."

"Yeah, kinda is." Teddy agreed with a nod and began biting her bottom lip, not real sure how to start.

"Well?" Daryl asked impatiently when she still hadn't started talking after a whole minute.

"I wanna sell the practice. I wanna quit medicine. At least for a while, maybe even forever. No way of knowing at this point." she dropped a bombshell on him, it was obvious from the shocked expression on his face. He was speechless for a minute, a ton of new questions instantly racing through his head.

"Ya wanna quit yer job? Sell your daddy's practice? Are you really sure 'bout that? Once ya sell it, there ain't no goin' back, girl."

"I've been thinking about it for three weeks, Daryl. I'm very sure. I have everything planned out, but I need your consent to go through with it."

"My consent? What in the world for? Practice is yours, ain't it?"

"Yes, but things will change for our family and I need you to think it over and be okay with that." Teddy explained while she fiddled nervously with Roxy's ear.

"Tell me, then." he tried to make it sound encouraging, but he was nervous as well and it came out a little bit gruff.

"Okay, this is gonna be long, please let me finish so I won't leave anything out, okay?" When he nodded his agreement, Teddy took several deep breaths and tried to get her thoughts in order before she started explaining her plans. "You know, my therapist told me to take some time and figure out what I want out of life. I dismissed it for a while, but when Billy showed up here with his plan to buy that garage and the gas station, I thought wow, he's going for what he wants. He's figured it out and he's doing it and he's going to get it. So that's when I started thinking about my own life and where I'm at right now and if I'm happy with where I am and what I have. And it quickly turned out, that I'm not very happy with it at all. The only things I truly love in this world right now, is you, our little family, including Billy and his family, and being married to you. Everything else I'm not happy with. I hate this town, I'm sorry but I don't like this house and I think neither do you, and I think I haven't been happy with my job in a long time. Even before Daddy died, my heart wasn't truly in it anymore. I was ready to throw it all away to be with you, remember? I think maybe I should have just quit back then, but well, I didn't and now here we are."

"If this is bout what yer mama said, 'bout not bein' able ta save anyone-"

"It's not." Teddy quickly cut Daryl off. "It really isn't. But the fact is, I can't go back there anymore. It's not my practice. It was his. I just worked there. Everything there is about him, the people came there for him. Everything screams Gerald Robertson in there and I can't take it. People only really come to me because I'm the only pediatrician in town and they don't have to wait at the clinic for hours if they come to see me instead. Everyone else rather had him treat them. I'm not bitter about it, it's just the way it is. I just can't do it anymore. Not right now. Evan, the new doctor, he is really good and people like him and more importantly, he would be very interested in buying the practice. His wife works at the hospital in Atlanta, she is a doctor as well. They would be able to work together, have their own family business, have a family life again. They barely see each other now with her crazy shifts... Anyway... I thought about what I wanna be, what I would be proud of... I wanna be a good mother. I want to be there for our daughter, I want to see her grow up, I want us to raise her. I don't want strangers or my mother to raise her. I don't want history repeating itself and be absent for most of her life, like my mother used to be. Please let me finish! I'm getting to the important points." Teddy raised her hand to stop him from speaking when she noticed him opening his mouth. He closed it again and nodded for her to go ahead, curious what else she had up her sleeve. "I love working with kids and I want to keep doing that, but it won't be in medicine anymore. I wanna start a little daycare. Watch a couple of kids while their parents work. I want to sell the practice and I want us to use that money to buy Kelly's house in Ellijay. It's our true dream house, Daryl and I want us to have it. It's a nice place for kids. There are the extra rooms downstairs, which could be a nice playroom and a room where they can take naps. You wanted to know why I need your consent to do this? Because we won't have the kind of money every month we have right now. Obviously my paycheck will be a lot smaller, especially during the first couple of weeks or months when I first start getting the word out about me offering babysitting services. It will take some time to built up a client list I think. I did the math, though, we will still be doing good. We save about 2,000 dollars in rent every month, you will earn more when you start working with Billy, you quit smoking, so that saves us some money as well... Even with a new mouth to feed in a couple of months, we would still be doing very alright. We won't have as much money left to put into savings at the end of the month like right now, but like I said, we'd still have enough to have a nice life and give our child and our pets everything they want and need. You will also get the opportunity to hunt more and I want us to re-work the garden a little. Plant some stuff, so we could be more self-sufficient. I want to ask Merle, Hershel and Shawn to show me how to take proper care of the garden and I want you to teach me some things, too."

"Like what?" Daryl narrowed his eyes in suspicion, somehow knowing exactly what he was supposed to teach her.

"How to cook. Yes I know, you think I'm hopeless, but Daryl, please. I want to be able to make something for our daughter. This daycare thing allows me to work and stay at home with her at the same time, I'll be the one who will have to make her lunch and the other kids as well. And I wanna be able to take better care of you, too. I wanna be a better wife. I know you don't like me taking cooking duties away from you, but think about it. Things will change, you will be the main provider of your family. That's something you've secretly always wanted, isn't it? It's okay to admit it. You would be if we go through with it, and I don't want you to come home and spend another hour in the kitchen to make us dinner. At least not every night. I want to learn. I took classes before, but I never had any real motivation, this time I do. Please teach me, Daryl. Let's at least try. I have this stupid fantasy in my head,... It's probably totally over the top, but in general, it's what I want. I want to have this garden and I wanna be able to go out there and get stuff for lunch and go back in and cook it for our family. I want this daycare, I want our Little Turtle to grow up with her parents present in her life and with other kids around her and with her cousin and the rest of her family close to her. I wanna be a nurturing mother and wife and to be able to do that I want to sell the practice and buy us our dream house and have that life we both wish for. The only disadvantage is that we'll have less money, but after three weeks of thinking, that's the only disadvantage I came up with. So,... what do you say?" Teddy finally ended her rambling with a bit of a heaving chest. She had talked so much and so fast that she seemed to have forgotten to take some much needed breaths.

Daryl didn't say anything for a long moment, he just looked at her, while his brain processed her words, which caused Teddy's nervousness to skyrocket even more. Slowly, a smile started tugging at the corners of Daryl's mouth, before it stretched his lips into a full-fledged grin. Teddy didn't have a lot of time to admire it, because he put his hand on the side of her neck and pulled her face to meet his halfway in a deep, lingering kiss. They stayed like that for a long time, while Daryl tried to come up with the right words. Right now he was just full of feelings and he had no idea how to voice them to her, yet.

He knew he probably shouldn't be so happy about the prospect of them having less money, but he was. She was right, in the end he had never been truly comfortable with their situation. He grew up with the firm believe that the man should take care of his wife and his family, as old-fashioned or stupid as it may be, but that's exactly what he wanted to do. She was offering him the opportunity to do so, to bring in the lion's share every month and his brain was almost exploding with happiness. What she had described, that was exactly the life he wanted for them. Out in nature, in that damn house with their pets and their daughter being able to be outside all day and be safe and be with at least one parent all the time, yeah, that's exactly what he wanted. The daycare was a clever plan. Little Turtle would grow up with other kids, would always have someone to play with, Teddy would be home with her all the time and she would still contribute a second income. Her plan was perfect. With them living in Ellijay and close to his work again, he could even go home for his lunch hour and spend a little extra time with his family. Teaching her how to cook would be a challenge and might end in divorce, he thought with a laugh, but if she was begging him to try, then he would give her that chance. She was handing him his dreams on a silver platter, who was he to deny her making her own come true?

Although Teddy was sure that his kiss meant something good, she still wanted a verbal answer. She pulled away and looked at him with her big eyes full of uncertainty, begging him for a definite answer. "So? Do you think it would work?"

"I ain't asking but this one last time... You sure ya wanna sell the practice?"

"Yes. When my father wrote that will I was still in Seattle with no plans whatsoever to ever move here. He assumed I would sell it anyway when the time came and he once told me that it would be okay, as long as I made sure it would be in good hands. He might have been my mother's puppet, but ultimately all HE ever wanted for us, was to be happy. He'd be supportive of this plan. He wanted to spend his retirement living on a farm like Hershel, but my mother wanted some horse breeding shit extravaganza instead of just a nice simple life, so he put that dream on the backburner. He'd understand the decision to sell and move into that house."

"Okay. Another thing is, do you think the parents of Ellijay will give you their kids to watch over given our history? People here still hate us." Daryl pointed out.

"Yeah, but people in Ellijay don't know us. They don't know about your family's past. They know the Greene's, some people know Billy and they are well liked. We'd be connected to a good family. It would be our chance to really start fresh, to start a new life, meet new people who are not prejudiced, because of our last name. And no more neighbors, either. The new neighbors are quite a distance away. We can be as loud as we want out there and nobody will care. I wanna do this, Daryl. There's nothing left for us here anyway. Our family is in Ellijay, our new home is there and your new workplace will be there, too."

"One last thing." Daryl hid a smirk when he saw her impatience grow, because he still hadn't given her a definite answer. "I wanted ta stay home for a while with you and Little Turtle when she's born. That idea's dead though, if we go through with it, right?"

"No, it actually isn't. The fact is, no matter if we stay here or if we move to Ellijay, you'll still take unpaid leave, which means we have to come up with the money ourselves anyway. The practice is worth more than the 270,000 dollars we'd need for the house and we have about 13,000 dollars in savings right now. If I sell, we'd have enough money for the house, enough money for all the stuff we still need to get for our daughter, enough money for some new furniture and still enough left to keep us afloat financially during the first few months. You could take the full 12 weeks of paternal leave, Billy would be okay with that, too. He said he'd find someone to fill in for you for as long as you want to stay home. You could quit your current job shortly before she's born and then start the new job after your leave. It wouldn't be a problem." Daryl had to smile at Teddy's enthusiasm. He hadn't seen her this happy in weeks. It was like balm for the soul. She really had it all covered, but a little part of him still wished she would have discussed it with him from the start instead of brooding silently by herself for weeks.

"Ya talked to yer brother 'bout it, but not me?" he asked with amusement in his voice. He couldn't be mad at her when she was truly smiling for the first time since they had agreed to buying the garage.

"We just texted back and forth the other day. I just needed to know if it would work out. So yeah, you could stay home the first three months with us, without having to worry about anything. We can settle into our new life as parents, get to know our daughter, relax and enjoy those first weeks with her and as soon as my body has recuperated a little, I can start looking for clients and Merle can show me how to work the garden and you can teach me how to cook. I talked to Kelly yesterday when I want to prenatal yoga, we could work something out about moving in earlier. She'd gradually move out in the next couple of months, while we gradually move in and most importantly, take care of getting the nursery ready. We would move in two weeks before our daughter's due date and Kelly would stay in the guest room until she's born and then go to Marietta to her new home a day or two after I gave birth."

"Ya already talked to Kelly?"

"Daryl! Yes, I wanted to cover all my bases before I talked to you. Please, just tell me if you are willing to think it over." Teddy was getting a little emotional at that point and tears started to well up in her eyes when she got the impression that he might not want to do it. She had hoped so much that he would agree.

"Don't need to think it over, woman." Daryl smirked and pulled her in for another deep kiss. "Let's fucking do it. And fast." he whispered against her lips.

"Yeah?" Teddy started crying for real now and got on her knees to sling her arms around his neck and hug the living daylights out of him.

"Hell yeah. Don't like this house, neither. Fuck girl, jus' look around. Been livin' here for almost a month and still haven't done shit. Still boxes standin' around. Well, good thing is, saves us some time on packing it all up again." he grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her back as much as he could without squishing their daughter between them.

"God, I love you so much. You have no idea! I promise you I will work my ass off to learn and do things right for once."

"Stop, darlin'. Don't let yer momma put ya down no more, ya hear? I trust ya. I told you once that I know you'll do everything in your power to make sure our girl is healthy and happy, right? That hasn't changed. I know you'll learn and do good. You'll probably give me and Merle some grey hairs on the way, but I know you're gonna be able to learn, 'cause it's for your daughter. Fuckin' love ya, Teddy. Can't tell ya what's goin' on inside a me right now. That ya wanna do this makes my heart hurt in a real good way. Don't care 'bout less money. Ya know it was never 'bout that for me. If you say we'll still be able to give the rest of the family everything they need, then it's all good."

"I'll tell Evan tomorrow. He'll be so excited. And I'll talk to Kelly tomorrow, too." Teddy smiled and clapped her hands excitedly, making Daryl laugh.

"You're fucking cute, girl. Why didn't ya tell me earlier. We could'a worked it out together."

"I needed to do it myself. Believe it or not, but it helped me grieve. To make something positive out of that really negative thing, to distract myself with all the planning. I really needed it. I'm sorry for shutting you out, I didn't even really realize that I was doing it, but I'm grateful that you gave me that time and space. It was good for something as you know now." she placed playful little kisses all over his lips, looking up at him with her puppy dog eyes in between. "Forgive me? Pretty please?"

"Ain't got nothin' ta worry about, sweetheart. Ain't mad." he murmured against her mouth. He flicked his tongue against her lips experimentally, testing if she was up for giving him some sugar. Teddy parted her lips and let him enter, moaning when he did and touched his tongue to hers. Daryl threaded his fingers through her hair at the back of her neck, unwilling to let her go before they got their fix. He couldn't help it, he was crazy about her and he had really fucking missed her. Okay, that and he was a horny bastard all of the damn time, he had to admit that or he'd be a big fucking liar. She might complain about her waist being gone, but all he saw was his goddamn beautiful, sexy, hot wife that was carrying their daughter. There was nothin' better out there than this. His free hand rubbed over her belly, smiling into the kiss when he felt the faint thumping of his daughter's kicks against his palm. He really couldn't wait to meet her. Suddenly he pulled away from the kiss and looked at his wife questioningly.

"Hold on. Ya said ya wanna move into the other house two weeks before her due date?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"That's in eleven weeks. We gonna be able to pull that off? How long will this Evan guy need to get the money to buy you out?"

"About a month. Then we still have about seven weeks to do the move and finish the nursery and prep the garden. Uh, you know what?"

"What?"

"Let's go to Home Depot and pick out some paint for our little girl's room." Teddy climbed out of his embrace and got off the sofa to look for her shoes.

"What? NOW? So now you're in a hurry?" Daryl chuckled and shook his head in a mix of disbelief and amusement.

"Like you said, only eleven weeks left." Teddy shrugged while she slipped into her flats.

"How long's it gonna take to pick out some pink paint? Five minutes?"

"Are you kidding? Her room is NOT going to be pink. Pink gives me eye cancer."

"I knew there was a reason why I married ya." he slapped her ass lightly and grabbed his keys from the bowl. "Come on, girl. Let's go, we're losing daylight."

The next day Teddy informed Evan and Kelly that they were going through with her plan and everything was set in motion, so it would actually work and get done in time. Evan applied for the loan and Kelly started clearing out the room that would be Little Turtle's, so they could get that done first. Teddy and Daryl were happy beyond belief. Kind of stressed out, but this time in a really happy way.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you for reading and your support everyone! Only one more chapter to go before the sequel starts. I guess by now everyone can guess how Jasper ends and why I decided to start a sequel instead of just keep writing under this title.
> 
> We might not have seen the last of Bernadette, she will probably not give up sticking her nose in everybody's business that easily.
> 
> Whew, can't believe we are almost done with this part of Teddy's and Daryl's story. Never thought people would respond to it like this. Thanks so much.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this was supposed to be the end of "Jasper", but since I can't stop writing these two, I added more chapters. So this is not the end of the story, just the end of what I like to call "the core story". Everything else after this one are "bonus chapters" and I will keep updating here and there with little glimpses into their lives.

AN: Check our tumblr for some pics for this chapter. This one's a little predictable I guess, but I hope you enjoy. Sorry for any typos or grammar mistakes. I am sick and tired, literally, lol. 

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Chapter 37

"Good morning, beautiful." Daryl's deep, sleep-thick voice roused her from her uneasy slumber. Being one week away from her due date made for bad sleep; the bones of her pelvis and hips being sore from the extra weight she was carrying, having stayed fit and active had only helped so much, at one point pregnancy became uncomfortable nonetheless. She kept tossing and turning, having to change positions every couple of minutes because her hips were cramping and aching. It woke up Daryl a lot, but at least he was able to go right back to sleep, while she had to fight to be able to sleep for an hour before waking up again and as soon as she had found a good position, she had to pee and it had all been for nothing. Yeah, she couldn't wait to pop this baby out and be done with it.

But despite all of it, she still woke up with a smile; had been for the past three days, just like her husband. They really had made it. They had moved into their dream house three days ago. Everything had gone off without a hitch for once and they had been able to get everything done just like Teddy had planned. The only thing that had changed was her birth plan. Initially she had planned for a home birth with Kelly. She had wanted to do a water birth in the hot tub outside with Kelly and Daryl by her side, but the closer she had gotten to her due date, the more doubts about her plan had planted themselves inside her head. Sure, she was planning on everything going smoothly, but she of all people knew that things could change within a minute and medical intervention could become necessary. The hospital was half an hour away, way too far if anything went wrong. After a long talk with Kelly and Daryl, Teddy had decided to do her water birth in the hospital, with only Daryl by her side, and with Dr. Hainesworth and a hospital midwife standing by in case anything didn't go as planned. Otherwise, if everything progressed smoothly, Teddy had asked everyone to stay out and leave her and Daryl alone, except for the times when Little Turtle's heartbeat and Teddy's dilation progress would get checked. She had done this before and had helped countless other women give birth, she knew what to do and she knew when to call for help. She would still do it alone with Daryl, but she still felt safer with the safety net of a hospital surrounding her.

She felt bad about cutting Kelly loose, so to speak, because Kelly had been an amazingly big help during the moving period, but the doula didn't mind at all. She understood perfectly that Teddy had to do what she felt the most comfortable with. Also it gave her a chance to start her own new life with her new partner in Marietta a bit sooner than expected. So instead of staying in the guest room until the girl was born, she had left the day Teddy and Daryl had moved in completely with the rest of their stuff, and Daryl had been insanely happy about them having the house to themselves right away. Hell, he'd been insanely happy the whole two days they'd been living here now. He had worked his ass off with Maggie to unpack the rest of their stuff on the first night, so they'd be completely settled in right away. He pretty much hadn't stopped smiling since plopping down on the couch that night; a fact that showed Teddy that they had made the right decision. She, herself, felt much much better out here than she had back in Jasper. It was like she was able to breathe again after having been deprived of oxygen for half an eternity. That was why, in spite of feeling a bit shitty from the pregnancy-related stuff, she couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

That smile turned into a grin, when she felt Daryl's naked form pressing flush against her backside. His whiskers felt a bit scratchy against the soft skin of her shoulder when he placed teasing, open-mouthed kisses on it, working his way up towards her neck. "Fuckin' hell woman, how do ya manage to smell so damn good all the goddamn time?" he growled against the back of her neck, before he bit down gently, making Teddy moan and shudder with lust.

"Could ask you the same thing." Teddy gasped, when strong, warm fingers slid over the big curve of her belly and down between her thighs. "Oooh..." she squeaked, when two fingers started massaging her clit in a fantastic rhythm, not too hard and not too soft, just right to have her panting like a bitch in heat within seconds. She was almost a bit embarrassed about how quickly her body responded to him, but then again, she really didn't care, because the pleasure he was inflicting took away all the pains and aches she was feeling, for a little while. Daryl's fingers soon slid lower and Teddy's breath hitched before she released it with a mewl, as his digits slowly entered her wet pussy. A little scream followed right away when he crooked his fingers against her front wall, pushing his fingertips against her g-spot; the sensation was more intense than usual, due to her still full bladder. It was downright maddening, but in a way that she never ever wanted to end. She felt his smug grin against her shoulder; the arrogant little bastard knew exactly what he was doing.

"Like that, huh?" his cocky tone of voice made her chuckle and made her wanna smack him at the same time, but he was preventing any coherent responses from coming out of his wife's mouth by pressing his fingers harder against her magic spot, like he was trying to give her a deep tissue massage down there. "Yeah, ya like that. Like having Daddy's fingers up your sweet little pussy, don't cha? Yer clutchin' me like a damn vice, girl."

"Fuck..." she gasped and closed her fist around the sheets in a hard grasp, tearing at them for all it was worth. "Oh Daryl... oh God..."

His ministrations were causing her to rotate her hips as best as she could, trying to press down and take his fingers deeper. "Oh please, baby... fuck me. Please fuck me." she moaned shamelessly as she tried to make herself cum on his fingers. The pressure that his fingers were building up inside of her was becoming too much to take. Still she was tempted to beg him for more, to beg him to press into her harder and make her explode by massaging that spot... but the little bit of sanity she had left told her to better make him stop doing this, because she didn't want any embarrassing accidents to occur that would put a stop to all of their current morning activities. She had a baby sitting on her full bladder after all. So, with a pang of regret, she reached for his hand and gently pulled it out and away from her. She slid her hand behind him and took hold of his turgid cock, pumping her hand up and down his length, that felt like velvet-covered steel, and looked over her shoulder, giving him the best sultry look she could muster these days.

"Want you now. Want THIS." she squeezed the hard flesh in her hand gently, making a shudder race through Daryl's body his eyes falling shut briefly as his eager cock twitched against her palm.

"What the lady wants, the lady gets." he groaned and closed his hand over her wrist to stop her hand from moving. He was horny and already pretty riled up, her pregnant form driving him just as wild as her un-pregnant body used to before she had started showing, and he didn't want to blow his load before he was inside of her. He had every intention of giving it to her good before he allowed himself his own release. He stopped her from moving when he realized that she was about to get on her knees. "Nah, no doggy. Wanna see ya. Okay? Wanna stay on your side or wanna go hop up on that dresser?"

Daryl, the gentleman. Always giving her choices, she thought with a laugh. But had he looked at her lately? There most certainly would not be any 'hopping up' on anything on her part. More like mounting something with the grace of an elephant.

"How about reverse cowgirl?" Teddy asked, her voice still light with laughter at his previous question.

"What did I just say? Wanna see your face, darlin'. Come on, we seriously gonna argue bout how ta fuck right now?" the need that was throbbing in his loins made him a teeny tiny bit impatient, but it only amused Teddy.

"I wouldn't call it arguing... but we're certainly discussing it." she smirked, earning herself a little smack on her butt from Daryl. It only served to make her giggle even more. "Mmmm, someone's horny this morning, hm?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her playfully while a little smile tugged up the corners of his mouth. "We doin' this now or what?" he asked with a laugh, while he leaned over her and gave her a little kiss.

"Like this, then. On my side." Teddy smiled and put her hand to his face to pull him down for one more kiss. It quickly turned heated when their tongues started roaming and swirling around one another. Her hand moved to his erect length once more, while his went back between her legs, working each other back up for a moment, before Teddy lifted her leg with Daryl's help, while he straddled the one that was resting on the mattress. Thank God for her still being pretty flexible, it made the whole thing a lot easier on both of them, because she was still able to pull her leg up pretty high and keep it there for a while, partially hooking it over Daryl's shoulder for support.

Her eyes closed with a blissful moan as soon as he sunk himself inside of her and started moving slowly in and out for the first couple of thrusts before he worked up to a steady rhythm. He wasn't pounding her anymore like he used to, he was too worried that he might end up hurting her or their daughter if he fucked her too hard. He didn't need the rough shit right now, he was happy enough that they were still going at it one week before their daughter was supposed to arrive and Teddy didn't just lay there and take it for his sake, she still enjoyed it, too.

Before long, they both enjoyed their release and collapsed back onto the bed in a sweaty, panting heap of post-coital married couple. Daryl rolled on his back, while Teddy stayed on her left side for a minute, before she got up to use the bathroom. Usually this would be when Daryl would enjoy a smoke, but he was proud that he no longer needed it. He had finally quit, his daughter's and wife's health had been motivation enough to finally kick the habit. The urge was still there sometimes, but even Teddy still had that urge from time to time and she had stopped smoking almost 10 years ago, so it was nothing unusual, he just had to distract himself and not think about it too much. This time he distracted himself by turning his head towards their bedroom window. Another smile found its way to his lips, when he took in the view he had right from his side of the bed: nothing but fucking nature. It was all he'd ever dreamed of and now he had it all. It felt fucking amazing, but it also made him nervous. If things were going too well, the other shoe was just waiting to drop, and it usually did, but for now he banned all negative thoughts from his mind and stretched out while he waited for his turn in the bathroom, too lazy to go and use the other one. That's right, they had multiple fucking bathrooms now. He was a Dixon with a choice of where to take his morning piss now. It was too fucking good to be true.

Teddy meanwhile winced, while she freshened up and put on some clean underwear. As soon as she had come down from her orgasmic high, she had noticed the pain building in her back and now that the endorphins were leaving her system again, that pain started to really manifest. She must have overdone it after all during their little morning romp. Should have picked the dresser, she thought wryly while she squirmed and wriggled her hips and lower back, trying to adjust whatever had gotten out of whack in there. After a couple of minutes the pain got a little better to bear and she gave up on trying to make it go away and got dressed instead.

After breakfast Maggie and little Johnny came over to help Teddy with her cooking and Daryl drove to the farm to talk to Billy about some work related things. The garage and gas station was now Billy's and Daryl's and they were still working out some kinks. Other than some minor things the change in ownership and management had been a smooth one. The guy who had been in charge of the garage before Billy had bought it had agreed to stay on until Daryl's paternity leave was over. He would retire, just like his old boss, Stan, so he didn't mind staying the three months Daryl would stay at home with his family. Also, Billy might or might not have given him a slight pay raise for those three months to get him to agree to the deal.

Every time Daryl was gone Maggie had been helping Teddy with things like unpack some of their things or try some easy cooking with her. Maggie truly was an angel, had been throughout all of the move. Teddy hadn't been able to do much anymore in the last two weeks, her belly and boobs had grown a lot more during the homestretch and she was plagued by bad back pains after being on her feet for too long. She was exhausted within minutes, so most of the time she was confined to the couch, having her feet up and having to delegate everything. It was killing her. She was emotional and she felt like some lazy ass by just watching them work. It had been especially bad when Merle and Shawn had come over to do the garden and plant the things she wanted to grow. She had sat in the lawn chair, watching them work and crying her eyes out, feeling guilty for not being able to help.

Merle had been surprisingly sweet about it, even stunning his brother, who had crouched next to the chair, trying to console his crying wife. Merle had crouched down on the other side of the chair and patted Teddy's leg, telling her not to worry about a thing and that he and Shawn did much harder work every single day at the farm; that this was like a vacation day for them. He'd pulled a do-rag out of his pocket and handed it to her, telling her to wipe those tears away and put on that pretty smile of hers, so his little niece won't get upset too and start kicking the hell out of her momma again. Daryl had just smirked with a little hint of disbelief in his expression. His brother was really something. He could be the most charming and the most evil, heartless bastard at the same time, but ever since Teddy had let Merle put his hand on her swollen belly to feel his niece kick, Merle had gone into overprotective mode, much like his younger brother. Even if Teddy would have been able to help, Merle wouldn't have let her. He would have pushed her down on that chair nonetheless, telling her to just watch and tell them what she wanted and let them handle things. The great support system she had around her this time made Teddy even more emotional. She felt like she was constantly crying these days and thanking them over and over for their help.

Once Daryl was gone and the girls had a little chat over coffee and tea while Teddy cuddled her nephew, Maggie took Teddy to the kitchen and showed her how to make her own baby food out of fresh vegetables, they had bought at a farmers market the day before. While they steamed some broccoli Maggie noticed Teddy squirming again, trying to get comfortable and ease the back pain. An hour later, while they fed Johnny some of the cooled down mashed potatoes and broccoli they had whipped up, she noticed Teddy doing it again. She smiled and gently, but firmly, rubbed her hand over Teddy's lower back.

"Come on, I'll give you a back rub like you used to give me. Johnny is full anyway and he can lie on the couch next to you in the meantime and hold your hand."

"God yes, thank you!" Teddy moaned and waddled over to the couch, carefully kneeling down in front of it and leaning her upper body forward, letting the couch support her heavy belly a little to take some weight off her back. Maggie got some oil, after Teddy had explained where she kept it, and knelt behind Teddy and began to knead the strained muscles in her lower back, making Teddy hang her head and close her eyes in bliss. "Can you do that for the next 24 hours? Man, this back pain is a bitch this time around."

"Yeah, because you're carrying lower this time, right?" Maggie smiled quietly, using a soothing tone of voice.

"Exactly. I'm also heavier and bigger than the last time. That sure doesn't help either."

"Do I hear a complaint about your looks, Teddy? You look good. A little fat looks good on you." Maggie teased with a little laugh.

"Bitch." Teddy looked over her shoulder with narrowed eyes, but she didn't take Maggie's teasing to heart. They were good enough friends to get away with a little teasing here and there.

"Don't stress out about it. It's amazing that you were able to stay healthy through everything that happened. And that's exactly what you look like! Healthy."

"Got Daryl to thank for that. And you. And Billy. And Merle. And your family. You guys have been fantastic and wonderful and awesome and every other positive adjective there is." Teddy looked over her shoulder again and flashed Maggie a grateful smile real quick.

"We're family, it's what we do. And you have a great husband, Teddy. He is awesome, I gotta say. He is so in love with your daughter already, I wish I could see him see her for the first time. Think he's gonna cry?" Maggie grinned with a little laugh.

"I think he will bawl his eyes out. Don't tell him I told you, but he is kind of sensitive deep down."

"Oh I know. I've watched him and I know him by now. It's evident. The way he looks at you when he worries, every bit of pain you are in, it goes straight to his heart. You can see so clearly how much he loves you and your daughter. You're a lucky girl,... well, where that is concerned." Maggie smiled sympathetically, knowing the loss of her father still hurt Teddy a lot.

"I am. I'm thankful to whoever is up there every single day for having him with me. He's been awesome. Still tells me I'm beautiful even though I look like a beached whale that is about to be hauled back into the ocean by Greenpeace. He's lying, but I still appreciate it."

"I don't think he's lying at all, Teddy. He's crazy about you."

"It's the big boobs. He's a boob guy." Teddy said casually, making Maggie laugh out loud. "It's true! He would love to keep me knocked up for years so we get to keep these puppies."

"I know. " Maggie laughed. "Billy was like that, too. That's men for you. They're all just the same where boobs or butts are concerned."

They suddenly heard the front door close, and Maggie looked at Daryl in surprise. Surprised partly, because he was back already and partly because there was something different about her brother-in-law. "Oh, speaking of the devil. Wow, look at you Daddy! Looking good." Maggie smiled when Daryl entered the great room. Teddy looked back over her shoulder once again with a frown.

"Did you just hit on my husband?"

"No, just paying him a compliment. Look." Maggie motioned over to the breakfast bar with her head, where Daryl was dropping their mail, looking more than just a little nervous. He was shifting his weight, keeping his hands in his pant pockets and chewing on the inside of his cheek, while his eyes flicked back and forth between Teddy and the ground.

Teddy turned her head to the other side and her eyes widened when she saw what exactly had Maggie pay Daryl a compliment.

"Oh my God! What did you do?" she gasped in shock, when she realized that he had chopped off his long hair to a much shorter do. His bangs no longer reached the tip of his nose. They were swept to the right side and just about brushed his eyebrows. There were still some curly wisps left to frame his cute ears, but the rest was much shorter, but just as messy as before. She was surprised. He hadn't told her anything about wanting to cut his hair and she was shocked not because she hated it, but because he looked fucking hot. Not just hot, but also adorable and cute and younger even. She didn't like it better than the longer hair, she liked it the same, but it was amazing that it kind of brought out a different side of him. He used to look hot and wild, like an animal. Now he looked hot and damn cool and adorable at the same time. She looked back at Maggie. "Uhm, could you help me up?"

"Sure, of course." Maggie got up and helped Teddy stand up from her kneeling position.

"Honey, a word?!" Teddy said while she walked past Daryl towards their bedroom. His heart sank, because this was not the reaction of a happy woman.

"Look, I'm sorry okay? It was a spontaneous decision. Beth was cuttin' Billy's hair and I just thought maybe I should have her cut mine, too. Gonna be a Daddy,... thought maybe I should look the part,... least a little bit... " he started apologizing as he followed her to their bedroom.

Teddy hid an amused smirk. She was a little confused by his explanation. Look the part? Was there some kind of Daddy-haircut she didn't know about? And even if there was, she was pretty sure that the one Daryl was sporting now, still wasn't it. When she still didn't say anything Daryl kept explaining his decision.

"It's gon' be better this way anyway. Every time I bend over Johnny he gets ma dirty hair in his face and he always grabs it and pulls on it. Just thought this will be better-"

"Oh shut up!" she growled and slammed the bedroom door shut behind them. Daryl was more than surprised when he found himself being shoved against the door, right before she grabbed the material of his dark gray hoodie in her fist and pulled him down towards her, letting their lips meet in a kiss of bruising force. "Do you have any fucking idea how good you look? Women gonna be all over you. Can't let you out and into town anymore." Teddy gasped between kisses.

"Ya like it?" Daryl pulled away and looked at her with a stunned expression. "I thought ya hated it."

"I don't hate it at all. You look fucking gorgeous, baby. Just didn't wanna attack you in front of Maggie and the baby."

"Right." He nodded with a deep sigh and slumped back against the door. "When is she leaving?"

"Hey, don't be mean." Teddy admonished him with a dark scowl and swatted at his chest lightly.

"Didn't mean it like that. Was jus' hopin' ta get some alone time in with ya before I leave with Merle." he grinned as he leaned forward and put his lips close to hers, teasing over her mouth light as a feather, but not really touching. "Want ya all the damn time, woman."

"You already got some alone time this morning, sweetie. We can wait until tonight. Better get used to it. Soon there won't be no alone time for a while."

"That's why I'm tryin' ta cram in as much of it as possible right now. Gotta make it last." he smiled. He pressed his lips against hers more firmly, grasping Teddy's hands in his and putting them up around his neck, while his slid over her belly and towards her round butt. Teddy giggled, when she instinctively went to grab his long hair, which was no longer there.

"Oh man, that's gonna take some getting used to." She grinned against his mouth and buried her fingers in his shorter hair at the back of his head. "but this is nice, too. Just enough left to hold on to."

"Still like it, then?"

"Love it." Teddy barely got to finish her short sentence, before his lips were once more slanted over hers and his tongue stabbed against them, begging for entrance. He had just deepened their kiss, when Teddy pulled away with a hiss and pushed her hands into her lower back, when she felt another bout of discomfort flare up. "Fucking back pain."

"Real bad today, huh? Maybe you should take a bath, relax a little while Merle and I go to Gainesville to pick up that table and the chairs ya had to buy on that eBuy thing."

"It's eBay and do I really hear a complaint? You wanted that table just as much as I did."

"Yeah, yeah. Alright. Come on, I'll draw ya a bath." he kissed her gently and led her to their bathroom, where he let the tub fill with warm water. While it filled up he walked back to Teddy and started undressing her. He couldn't help himself and let his warm hands roam her curves with a little smirk on his face. "Damn woman, ya look good enough ta eat. Maybe I should get in there with ya, huh?"

"I'm sorry honey, but really not right now, okay? Maggie is still here and also, this pain is kicking my ass today. I'm only in the mood for bitching and complaining. No fun at all." Teddy gave him an apologetic smile. She readily admitted that her mood swings were sudden these days. Happy one minute, pissed off the next and tired the other. Right now, she just wanted to get into that bathtub to ease the pain and then try to nap for a while later.

"Don't apologize, I was just tryin' ta cheer ya up. I know you ain't in the mood. Who could blame ya? Come on, let's get you in there." he rid her of her panties before he took her hands to hold her steady while she stepped into the bath tub. She carefully knelt down before she let herself sink down to sit on her ass and pulled her legs out from under her to stretch out and lean back. "Better?"

"Getting there." she sighed deeply and let her eyes fall shut, when she felt the pain-easing effect of the warm water. Another reason why she had chosen a water birth, because the water would dull the pain of the contractions. She hoped she would be able to avoid an epidural this way.

"Want me to ask Maggie to stay here until me and Merle get back?"

"No, that's okay. I wanna try to sleep a little while you are gone anyway. No need for her to stay and have Johnny take another nap in his baby carrier. She should take him home and have him nap in his bed, while I nap in our bed."

"We'll be gone bout two and a half hours."

"I know. I'll be fine. It will be a good opportunity for me to catch up on some sleep." Teddy murmured sleepily. She was beat already and it caused her to get out of the tub sooner rather than later, so she wouldn't fall asleep in there and accidentally drown. Daryl and Merle soon left for Gainesville and after having another tea with Maggie, she and Little Johnny left as well, so Teddy would be able to go to bed and try to rest a little.

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The pain in her back didn't let her sleep. She kept rolling from side to side, but it didn't help at all. She still cursed herself for choosing the more acrobatic position during their morning romp instead of just letting him lift her up on the dresser and wrap her legs around him. It had really done a number on her. She soon decided to get back in the bathtub and have Daryl give her another back-rub once he got back from Gainesville. She hoped it would soothe whatever had gotten messed up in there, so she'd feel better again the next day. The pain was really annoying and it was getting so bad that she felt like crying. That thought made her freeze while she was hunched over the bathtub to turn on the faucet. Hot and cold flashes went through her body and her skin felt suddenly very clammy as she panicked for a second, two words flashing like a big neon red sign inside her mind.

Back labor.

Her breathing picked up a bit when she realized that she might be in labor and probably has been all morning. She's had more than one experience with mothers who hadn't even realized that they were having their baby until the bearing down pains started and the baby literally popped out shortly after, all because they didn't feel any contractions in their belly, but intense back pains instead. Teddy had been busy all morning with Daryl and then with Maggie and Johnny, she hadn't stopped to pay real attention to the pain or to analyze it. No wonder that the pain didn't stop no matter what she did; Contractions usually didn't stop just because you moved around or changed positions.

"Oh shit... oh shit, oh shit, ohshitohshitohshit..." Teddy started panicking for real. Tears spilled out of her eyes and her breathing turned into hyperventilating for close to a minute. She let herself be overwhelmed for a short moment, before she forced herself to get a grip and stay calm. "How long's he been gone?" she asked herself out loud and made her way to the living room to look at the time. She noticed that Daryl would be gone for at least another hour and felt inclined to start panicking again. "No, deep breaths. Nice, deep breaths. An hour is nothing. Please baby girl, you have to wait at least until then, okay? Momma cannot do this without your Daddy. Be a good girl now and don't rush out of there, at least not yet. As soon as he's here you can com rushing out within a minute for all I care. You know, half your life will consist of waiting anyway, so why not start learning that lesson right now?" Teddy beseeched her daughter while she carefully got on all fours to take some pressure off her back and ease the pain a bit. She closed her eyes and focused on her lower body, paying attention to where exactly the pain occurred and once she did that, she noticed that the contractions also rippled through her belly, but it wasn't as noticeable as it usually should be, because the pain in her back was so bad. It actually lessened when she had a contraction and got worse again when it was over. Now she was sure that she was experiencing back labor and that her daughter would be born pretty soon; just please not before Daryl was back home. As soon as she would hear him come in, they would have to turn around and drive to the hospital.

She briefly pondered calling Maggie and Billy, but then decided against it, because she didn't want them freaking out and making a fuss. Daryl would probably be freaked out enough for the whole family once he heard what was going on. Teddy slowly crawled into the bathroom and hoisted herself back up into a standing position by supporting herself on the rim of the bathtub. She'd stay in there in case her water broke while she waited, so she wouldn't make a mess on the floors. She knelt in the tub, resting her forearms on the rim and tried pelvic tilts to have the back pain ease up a little. It was bad, but she was happy that it was still manageable, if it stayed like this, she wouldn't need an epidural. Then she laughed sarcastically, because she realized that she might not even have a choice. It might already be too late for an epidural by now, who knew how far she had progressed over the course of the morning. She just kept taking deep regular breaths and talked to her daughter to distract herself and just when she heard the car door slam outside, she felt warm fluid trickle down her leg.

"Just in time." she muttered. She heard Daryl and Merle enter the house and she didn't waste any time in calling out to her husband. "Daryyyyyyyyl? Could you come in here please?"

She startled for a moment, when Daryl came in, still not used to his shorter haircut. "Oh God,... that's right, different hair. Jesus..."

"What are you doing?" he asked with a frown when he surveyed the scene. His wife was kneeling in the tub, but she was still dressed in her maxi dress, she had pulled up to her waist and there was no water in the tub.

"Honey, don't freak out, okay? I'm pretty sure I've been in labor all morning and my water just broke."

Don't freak out? Was she kidding? Labor all morning? What the fuck?

"Why in the world didn't ya say anythin'? I wouldn't have left ya alone!" he said louder than he wanted to, he couldn't NOT freak out.

"I didn't realize it was labor, as stupid as that sounds. It's back labor. I barely feel the belly contractions because of the bad back pain. Think I would have let you go if I had known? Can we not do this now? My water just broke and we need to get to the hospital. Please try to stay calm, okay? I need you to stay calm, so I can stay calm."

Daryl took several deep breaths, trying to grant her her request. Once he had gathered his bearings a little, he reached for her and helped her out of the bathtub. "Alright. Let's get your bag and go. How you doin', babe? Shit, wish I would have stayed home..."

"You couldn't have known. Even I didn't know until about an hour ago."

"MERLE! Get the bag next to the front door and get your ass in the car. You're drivin'. Teddy's having our girl."

"Holy shit!" they heard Merle's distinct voice yell back at them, while they slowly walked towards the front door. "Hurry up then before the little squirt drops out on the floor."

"It's not THAT easy, Merle." Teddy winced when a nasty cramp seized her back again. "But he's right, we better hurry."

They piled into their new truck, Merle behind the steering wheel, and Teddy and Daryl occupied the backseat. Just when they were about to go Daryl yelled for Merle to stop and he jumped out of the car and ran back into the house, returning a minute later with the car seat for their daughter in his hand.

"Good thinking, baby." Teddy pressed out. "Now go, go, go."

They had been on the road for about 10 minutes, when Teddy suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to push, so strong that she was barely able to pant her way through it. "Merle, pull over. NOW! I'm not kidding. Find a spot to pull over. We're not gonna make it to the hospital in time."

"Shit, you sure?" Daryl asked her worriedly and Teddy nodded frantically.

"Very sure. She's coming right now, honey." she sighed in relief when she noticed that Merle had pulled over and had killed the engine, now he looked back at them with an uncertain expression on his face.

"What now?"

"Daryl, you get behind me, give me support. Merle, you're gonna help me deliver your niece." Teddy gasped and panted through another contraction.

"Aww hell no! He ain't gonna look down there!" Daryl piped up pretty quickly causing Teddy to roll her eyes at him.

"Really? God Daryl..."

"I'll help ya deliver our daughter. That was the plan anyway."

"Yeah, but with me in the water, where you wouldn't be able to see all to clearly what would be going on down there. Baby, once you see it you can never unsee it ever again, okay? I don't want our sex life to suffer." Teddy explained in a rush, making her husband roll his eyes this time.

"Really? C'mon girl, I'm a fucking hunter. I seen worse. Ain't squeamish. Imma do this. Merle, you have her back." Daryl commanded his older brother, who jumped out of the driver's seat and got back in behind Teddy and helped settle her against his broad chest.

"Honey, take off your hoodie. We're gonna need it to cover our baby. Listen, there's gonna be blood, alright? Don't worry about that. As soon as she is out, support her head and put her on my chest and I'll take care of the rest. Oh shit, okay guys, I gotta push. Merle, grab the back of my knees and pull them towards you and sorry if I scratch up your arms. Okay? Now!" she took a deep breath in and as soon as Merle had pulled her knees up and Daryl was positioned between her spread legs, Teddy put her chin on her chest and gave a good push, while she dug her nails into Merle's thick forearms.

"What do I do?" Daryl asked a bit helplessly after Teddy had pushed a second time.

"You just wait. Any blood yet?" Teddy asked as she caught her breath. Sweat was beading on her forehead by now and Merle already had some nice nail marks imbedded in his skin.

"Nah, all good."

"Good. I think one or two more pushes until she is through the cervix. You might see her head then. If she is about to pop on out, put your index and your middle finger against the opening in a v-shape and push them down a little. It will help the head pass through and help me not to tear uncontrollably. Here comes the next push. Ready?"

"Hell yeah, princess. C'mon, make it count." Merle pulled her knees back up towards their bodies and pushed his chest against her back to offer her support and Teddy had to say that he was doing a great job. A moment later Daryl and Merle cringed, when Teddy screamed out in pain when she pushed her daughter through her cervix. The pain was really bad, but still not as bad as the first time around and for that she was glad. Her nails dug deeper into Merle's skin, making the man wince, but he kept his mouth shut for now. Teddy gave another hard push right after the one before and Merle noticed Daryl's face light up with amazement.

"I can see her head. Shit, darlin'... she's got hair. So much dark hair..." Daryl grinned up at Teddy and his brother.

"Sure that's her head with all that hair and not yer wife's..."

"HEY!" Merle didn't get to finish that sentence. Teddy still had enough strength to ram her elbow into his ribs. "You're an ass." she glowered at him and he earned a glare from Daryl as well. Merle just chuckled.

"Hey, distracted ya from the pain for a second there, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but no more jokes about my vagina or I'll kick your ass once that little girl is ooohhh next one..." They all quickly jumped back into action. Merle pulled her knees up while Teddy pushed and Daryl started to put his fingers against Teddy's opening, because the head started to push against it from the inside.

"Jus' a little more, sweetheart. She's almost here. Yer doin' so good. Goddamn champ." Daryl cheered Teddy on, while Merle laughed.

"Givin' birth in the backseat in the middle of nowhere,... that's true Dixon style ain't it? Country girl right from the start."

"Oh shut up!" Teddy bit out between clenched teeth when the stretching and burning in her lower body became almost unbearable. She was insanely glad about two things: Number one being that her daughter was so small, number two being that she was coming out of there pretty quickly. It was almost over, just a few more pushes. She felt the next one coming on and Daryl's excitement indicated that she was almost done with the head.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep pushin' darlin', almost done, almost done, little more, c'mon, you can do it." he pushed his fingers against Teddy the way she had told him to and watched his daughter's head pop out. "Good Lord... so much hair... Teddy, what do I do? The head's out."

"Is the cord around her neck?"

"No, neck's free. She's all pink." Daryl couldn't help but grinning. He didn't even realize that his eyes had started watering. He wished he would be able to see Little Turtle's face, but she was still face down.

"Good. Be ready to catch her. Support the head, just like I showed you on the doll a couple weeks back." Teddy was gasping for air like crazy. She felt like she was on fire, the pain was burning and intense and she had to fight the urge to just push with all her might and have it all end right that minute. She waited for the next contraction and gave one last hard push, feeling her daughter leaving her body completely before she slumped back against Merle's chest with closed eyes. She didn't see Daryl holding and seeing his daughter for the first time, but Merle caught every second of it, grinning widely when he watched Daryl greet his firstborn daughter. Daryl clutched the teeny tiny baby in his strong hands and held her to his chest for a couple of seconds, reveling in the feeling of having his daughter finally in his arms.

"Shit, you're so tiny. Please don't break, please don't break. Damn, prettiest little turtle I ever seen."

"Give her to me, honey." Teddy smiled and reached out for her, having Daryl carefully lay the little girl on her mother's chest. "Hi sweetie. There you are." Teddy smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead while she rubbed over Little Turtle's nostrils to clear out her airways. Daryl was right, she was really tiny, but she looked all pink and healthy with a dark mop of hair. She was perfect. She released a little cry to test out her lungs, but proceeded to cuddle into her mother's chest calmly right away.

"Look at that." Merle grinned over Teddy's shoulder and gently touched his niece's little cheek. "Pretty as a picture."

"She okay?" Daryl asked in a worried tone, but his face was still lit up with a huge smile while put his hoodie around his little girl to keep her warm.

"I think she is, but we better get to the hospital. Can you check the cord for knots or kinks please?"

"We gotta cut it? Got ma knife!"

"No, they'll do it at the hospital. Let's just go please and hope the placenta won't come out until we get there. Come on, let's get a move on." Teddy begged. Thankfully Merle didn't waste any time. He carefully climbed out from behind her and got back in the driver's seat, while Daryl took his place and wrapped his family into his arms.

"She's beautiful, ain't she?" he smiled quietly into Teddy's ear as he held them tightly pressed to his chest.

"She is. Look at her eyes, baby. Blue, just like yours."

"Yeah, that's right." Daryl noticed proudly. "Like yer daddy, too. We gotta keep the name we picked?"

"I think so. She didn't just feel like a Kenzie, she looks like a Kenzie, too, doesn't she?"

"Still looks like a pretty Little Turtle to me." Daryl snickered and earned a nudge from his wife.

They arrived at the hospital soon where Teddy and their daughter got checked out quickly. Mother and daughter were in good health. Teddy had three small internal tears, but nothing too bad. She felt good and later that night Daryl was able to take his two girls home.

Kenzie Geraldine Dixon was born on August 27th 2015 at 2:19 pm. She measured 19 inches and weighed in at roughly 7 lbs.

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One week later

It was a sunny Thursday morning when Daryl got ready for his morning walk with Roxy. He and Teddy had just had a nice breakfast out on their deck and then he'd watched her nurse their little baby girl. He was so in love with both of them, it made his heart fucking burst. So far everything had been smooth sailing. Kenzie was a bit fussy and not the best sleeper, but she always settled right down as soon as she was snuggled against her Daddy's strong chest. Daryl was insanely happy about the three month paternity leave, because he just couldn't imagine going to work and leaving his little girl behind already. He couldn't get enough of her, he carried her around all day and only gave her back to Teddy for nursing. Teddy didn't mind too much, it gave her the necessary chance to heal up and have her body recuperate from the pregnancy and giving birth. She would soon spend most of the day with more than just one child and could use some rest beforehand. After clearing the table on the deck and getting the kitchen back in order she put her legs up on the garden bench out on the deck to read a little while Daryl was gone. She smiled up at him when he came back out, Roxy by his side and Little Turtle strapped to his chest in her black baby carrier.

"Ready to go?" Teddy grinned at the adorable picture.

"Yeah, gonna be back in an hour." he cradled Kenzie's head and carefully leaned down to kiss his wife.

"Alright, have fun." she kissed him and patted Roxy on the head, before the threesome headed out into the woods to take a nice walk on their land.

Daryl still couldn't believe it. He was in the woods, on his own land with his daughter in his arms, his dog by his side and his wife and their cat waiting back home. After all the ups and downs that had been his life, at one point he'd finally done something right and now life was good. Really, really good. Daryl Dixon was living his dreams.

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	39. Chapter 39

**I posted this a little while ago on the story's tumblr. I know not everybody who followed the story on here is on tumblr as well, so I decided to put it up here. It's a little drabble set about one and a half years after the last chapter and shows us, where they are now in their lives and with their little Turtle.**

* * *

**Where are they now?**

_***Smack***_... "Eight."... _***Smack***_... "Nine... mmmm."... _***Smack***_... "Ooohh, ten."...

A deep chuckle rumbled in Daryl's chest as he rubbed his hand over Teddy's reddened butt. "Such a dirty girl... Soppin' wet from getting her ass spanked." he rasped while two of his fingers glided through her wet folds with ease.

"Please fuck me." Teddy moaned when his fingertips rubbed all around her pulsating clit, but never touched it directly. "Aaaaahhh!" she yelped startled, when a sharp smack hit her pussy.

"What was that, darlin' girl?"

"Please fuck me, Sir." Teddy corrected herself while tears stung her eyes. She wasn't complaining though. They liked playing rough and she needed this desperately to get rid of some pent up tension. "Fuck me hard, Sir. Please."

Daryl wanted to make her wait a bit longer for it. He wanted to drag it out, make her suck his cock first, then put some nipple clamps on her and make her touch herself until he was ready to go again, but unfortunately, they simply didn't have the time and getting interrupted would be even worse than having to skip those things altogether. So he gave in. "On the bed. On your knees, hands behind your back, face on the mattress, ass in the air." he instructed her tersely.

Teddy climbed off his lap and quickly got in position, like he had told her to do. She knew that this was not the time to play around and be disobedient, even though she would have loved to do so and have him manhandle her for a little longer, but time was of the essence. She knew that better than anybody.

Daryl was behind her in an instant, his sweat pants pushed down to his knees, and she felt the tip of his cock at her opening. Daryl's strong hands took hold of her arms which where crossed behind her back, immobilizing her and effectively keeping her in place as he thrust into her with a quick snap of his hips. Teddy bit into the sheets when she felt the big tip of his erection press firmly against her cervix, groaning at the pressure he was exerting. It hurt so good, she already felt the little tingles spread throughout her lower abdomen which would get stronger and stronger until it would end in a freeing release. Daryl pulled her back even further by her arms, increasing the pressure even more, making her whine low in her throat, before he pulled out and gave her a second to breathe, then he slammed right back in, setting a fast and brutal pace as the sharp sound of flesh smacking against flesh filled the room. He fucked her hard and fast for a couple of minutes, his impressive stamina allowing him not to have to let up on his punishing rhythm for even a second. When her pleading and begging for release had him almost loose his mind, he licked the fingers of his right hand and reached around her to wank her clit. It only took seconds until Teddy exploded hard. She screamed into the sheets as intense pleasure ripped through her body. It was enough to make tears leak out of the corners of her eyes, before every bit of tension left her body and she sagged against the mattress. Her release had triggered that of her husband, but she hadn't even noticed. She was blissfully unaware of anything as sleepiness took over and replaced the need and pleasure she had felt.

Daryl let go of her arms after his own climax, and gently helped her to lay down. "I love ya, darlin'." he murmured between pressing little kisses against her shoulder while he pressed himself against her for a moment. He kissed her wherever he was able to reach without moving too much, and softly stroked his fingertips over the soft skin of her arm. "Go back to sleep. I got her." Daryl smiled against the back of her neck as Teddy released a quiet sleepy grunt. She was already well on her way back to dream land after their short intermezzo. Daryl enjoyed sharing some closeness with his wife for a moment longer, before he got out of bed, making sure Teddy was covered and warm, before he went into the bathroom. He relieved himself, freshened up and pulled his sweat pants back up. He grabbed a T-shirt from the closet and put it on while he left the bedroom and quietly closed the door behind him.

"Mama! Maaammmaaaaa! Tuttle up!" he laughed quietly when he heard the voice of his daughter calling out from her room. 'Tuttle up' meant 'Turtle is up'. She didn't say her own name, but she said his nickname for her.

"Like clockwork." he muttered as he patted towards the girl's room on bare feet.

"Dada? Daaaaadaaaaaa!" she called next, just as Daryl reached the door.

"Hey Turtle." he greeted her with a smile, making his daughter squeal euphorically and start to jump up and down in her bed.

"Dada! Dada! Dada!" Kenzie shouted happily and reached out for him. Daryl picked her up, hoping she would snuggle into his shoulder like she had used to until a couple of weeks ago, but she started squirming right away, wanting to get put down on the floor.

"Hey, do I get a kiss first?" Daryl asked her and chuckled when she pressed her nose against his lips.

"Down!" she commanded and Daryl listened. He set her down on the floor where Kenzie proceeded to haphazardly brush her long, almost black, hair out of her face before she grabbed Daryl's hand and pulled him out of the room.

"Mama! Mama up!" Kenzie babbled and pulled Daryl towards the bedroom, but he quickly stopped her and pulled her in the other direction.

"Momma's still sleeping, sweetheart. Let's make some breakfast, yeah? Come on."

"Woxy! Wooooxy!" Kenzie called out next as she pulled Daryl into the great room with all her might. She loved waking everybody up and she especially loved getting wet doggie kisses first thing in the morning. Roxy lifted her head from her own bed and quickly got up when she heard the noises of her humans. She waited patiently for Kenzie to come running up to her and happily licked the little girl's face, making her squeal and in turn, making Snoopy run and hide. He loved Kenzie as well, but he preferred her quiet, like when she was sleeping.

"Alright. What do we want for breakfast?"

"Wide! Wide!" Kenzie said as she tried to climb on Roxy's back. Daryl quickly lifted the toddler up and put her back on the floor.

"No, Turtle. We're not riding Roxy now. Be good and let's make some breakfast. What do you want?"

"Cookies!"

"No. No cookies until you had breakfast, sweetheart, you know the rule."

"Fishy."

"Fish for breakfast? Nah, I don't think yer momma will go for that. How about waffles?"

"Yaaaaay!" Kenzie clapped her hands and ran towards the kitchen, opening a cabinet and pulling at the pack of flour.

"Such a smart girl." Daryl grinned as he took the flour from her. She already knew what went into making their Sunday breakfast. It was amazing how many things these little people were able to pick up. Kenzie was one and a half years old already and her cousin Johnny was celebrating his second birthday today. They spend almost every day together and it was amazing what those two toddlers were able to come up with already. There was never a dull moment and Daryl understood how Teddy was often exhausted at night and very tense by the time the weekend rolled around. Daryl didn't want to imagine what a wreck she would have been if she would have kept going with the daycare.

Yeah, that daycare idea had failed miserably. Not because Teddy had been bad at it, but because she had learned that, while she loved kids and loved working with them, she loved it the most when it was just one or two kids at a time. She wasn't patient enough and her nerves weren't strong enough to have more than that running around, trying to break things and throwing tantrums. After two months and a near nervous breakdown, Teddy had accepted defeat and had stopped offering her babysitting services. Daryl had wholeheartedly agreed to it. Where he was concerned all she needed to do was take care of their own daughter and she was doing a great job at that. His and Billy's garage and gas station was making good money, and while they had less than they used to have in their Jasper days, it was still enough to live comfortably and to enable her to be a stay-at-home mom. They had talked about it and Daryl was happy that Teddy would stay home with their little Turtle until she was three years old and would start pre-school. Once that happened Teddy would take some classes and then take over what her own doula Kelly used to do, and offer prenatal yoga classes, acupuncture, first aid for babies, etc. etc. Right now they both thought that it would be the best solution, because Teddy wanted to work once Kenzie was out of the house for a couple of hours or else, she would just go insane. However, she still didn't want to go back to medicine.

Right now she still watched Billy and Maggie's son Johnny, while Maggie worked in the office of Billy's and Daryl's garage in the mornings, before she picked him up shortly before lunch time. Sometimes they all had lunch together, but mostly she took her son back to the farm for a meal with her own family. Things used to go pretty smoothly until Johnny had started practicing for his 'terrible two's' a bit early and he seemed to have dragged Kenzie right along in there with him. Both toddlers were throwing tantrums left and right, and especially Kenzie LOVED defying her mother. She took after her father and was a little daredevil, always trying to climb up on everything and yelling 'no' when Teddy told her to stop. When Teddy physically removed her from a shelf, the little girl started squealing really high-pitched while she threw herself on the floor and banged her fists, which caused Johnny to join right in, making Teddy want to pull her hair out. She loved those two dearly, but those were the moments when she wanted to strangle them, but she had to be stern, yet loving and patient instead. This was what caused all the tension, which Daryl had to fuck out of her on the weekends. Ideally they would do it when Maggie and Billy would watch Kenzie, but sometimes it couldn't wait, like today, after a particularly exhausting week for Teddy. Daryl hadn't believed her at first, because whenever he was around, Kenzie was a perfect little angel. Still a little daredevil with lots of energy, but she listened to him and also to Teddy when he was around. One day though, Teddy had filmed a couple of Kenzie's tantrums with her cellphone and upon watching them Daryl had been mildly shocked and had to admit, that his daughter was the Devil incarnate when he was at work.

Somehow it had led to their play time turning even rougher at times, but they both welcomed it with open arms. With him now being the sole provider for his family, Daryl felt strengthened and more settled in his manhood and also in his sexuality. Even more so than before. He felt very comfortable being a bit more dominant with Teddy in the bedroom and she was craving it these days. She had to be on alert and in control all the time during the week while the kids were around. Every minute there was a decision to make, small ones, as well as big ones, so during her alone time with her husband, she needed him to take control. She needed to shut down her mind and do what he told her to. Or not, when she was looking for some prolonged fun. It wasn't always that way. They still fooled around and made love like any other couple, but once a week she needed him to help her get rid of the tension and pent-up frustration in a way, which she would feel for another day or two whenever she would sit down.

"Milk!" Kenzie piped up and pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, that's right. Gotta put milk in there."

"Dwink! Tuttle! Dwink!"

"Oh, my little Turtle wants some milk to drink. Hold up." he kissed his daughter's forehead and got her sippy cup out of the dishwasher and filled it up with milk. "Here ya go."

Silence.

"What do we say?" he looked at her and waited for her response. Her response was a sly grin and a giggle.

"Ya know exactly what we say." Daryl tried to stay serious, but he always failed miserably. "Say it." he said and tickled his daughter's ribs, making her squirm and squeal.

"No."

"Say it!"

"No."

"Turtle... say it."

"Tanks."

"That's a good girl." he grinned and gave her another kiss.

Half an hour later they were on their way back to the bedroom with their waffles and beverages on a tray Daryl was carrying. He opened the door and Kenzie stormed inside and quickly climbed on the bed and bounced up and down on her knees next to Teddy.

"Mama! Up! Up!" she shouted and slapped her hands down on Teddy's upper arm, before she would lay her head next to Teddy's on the pillow and watch her mother's eyes. When Teddy's eyes opened she was rewarded with the cutest toothy smile and she giggled, when Kenzie pushed her index finger against her mother's nose. "Up!"

"Yeah baby, mama is up. Good morning sweetheart." Teddy kissed Kenzie's nose and sat up with a tired smile. "Mmmm, breakfast in bed?"

"You know it." Daryl smiled and leaned down to kiss his wife. He put the tray over her lap before he got back into bed, leaning against the headboard. Kenzie cuddled into his side while she munched on her piece of waffle, and Daryl played with his daughter's soft hair while he ate his own waffle with his other hand. Teddy watched them both while she took a sip from her coffee and felt her heart swell once more.

"I love you." she whispered and put her hand on Daryl's face.

"Love ya, darlin'." he smiled and turned his head to kiss her palm.

Yeah, most days were exhausting right now, but in the end it was all worth it and she would never ever trade this in for anything else in the world.

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**Thank you for reading!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hello... Just another little tale from the life of my favorite couple ever (that I've written). Hope you enjoy!**

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"Mmmmmmm... oh Jesus Christ that's so good... yeah, right there... right there... yes... YES!" Teddy moaned like a madwoman while Daryl massaged her tense shoulders with his strong and capable hands.

"Shhhhh... keep it down, darlin' or you're gonna wake up our girl." Daryl smirked quietly while he kept digging his thumbs into the hard knots underneath her skin.

"No, the doctor gave her something for the pain and that usually makes kids sleep like the dead." Teddy mumbled with closed eyes, while she enjoyed Daryl's ministrations. She'd had a long and stressful day. Johnny and Kenzie had been on top of their game today. Johnny had thought it would be funny to steal Roxy's food out of her bowl, making the huge dog growl like she never had before. Teddy had just lifted Kenzie off the sofa and told her not to jump on it again, before she quickly went to grab Johnny and take him away from Roxy, before the dog thought she would have to defend her food. She gently calmed Roxy down, keeping an eye on both kids, but when turned her back on the kids (for literally only thirty seconds) while she took Roxy and the bowl outside on the sundeck, so Roxy would be able to eat in peace, she heard her daughter cry out very loudly and extremely high-pitched. A shock had gone through her, because she had realized immediately, that it was not Kenzie's usual crying. She took the two steps back inside where her daughter was crying her head off. Arms stretched out in front of her, reaching for her mother, a red face from crying, and a bleeding chin from where she had banged it on the edge of the coffee table after falling off the couch. She had taken both kids to the hospital and during the wait she had called Daryl and Maggie, asking him to come, and her to come pick up Johnny, so he wouldn't have to wait with them. They had to wait in the emergency room just as long as everybody else. Kids did not get preferential treatment, so Daryl had gotten fed up and had brusquely asked Teddy, why she wouldn't stitch up their daughter herself.

" _Because I'm her mother, and I don't want her to associate me with needles and shots and pain, that's why."_ Teddy had responded calmly. She had known that her daughter would live, so she had been relatively relaxed, whereas Daryl had been a nervous wreck. Seeing his little princess bleed had almost killed him. She had been on his lap, in his arms, clinging to him like her life depended on it. She hadn't done that in months, and while part of him had enjoyed it, another part of him had known that she had to be feeling pretty crappy to seek comfort like that again. He had petted her soft, dark hair, while his other hand had applied pressure to her wound with a clean compress, being careful not to hurt his little girl even more. After a couple of hours the doctor had stitched up the small wound on Kenzie's chin, and had told them what Teddy had known all along. Kenzie would live and be as good as new the next day, and that it surely wouldn't be the last time she hurt herself. Daryl had been ready to punch the smile off of the guy's face. He had no sense of humor where his daughter's health was concerned. However, he didn't blame Teddy. He knew very well that these things just happened sometimes. He couldn't even count how often he'd hurt himself when he'd been little.

Kenzie had gone to bed earlier that night, giving both parents some more time to spend together and more time to unwind. Daryl might not have blamed her, but Teddy blamed herself a little bit. She found at least three ways she could have handled things differently, which would have resulted in having an uninjured daughter. Daryl had just shushed her and had told her to relax, and had squeezed in between the back of the couch and the back of his wife in order to rub the tension from her shoulders, which wasn't easy, because all of his 130 pound wife seemed to be a big ball of tension. He knew she was more than ready to go to work, but since Kenzie had just turned 2 years old about 2 months ago, she still had 10 more months to go before she would go to pre-school. Things would get a bit easier soon though, because Johnny would start pre-school in just 4 months and Teddy would no longer be required to watch him during the week. Now Maggie was expecting twins, but Teddy had already declared that she would no longer babysit anyone every day, because she would start working as soon as Kenzie was out of the house in the mornings.

"You're doing real good, darlin'." Daryl spoke up after a couple of minutes of silence. "Don't blame yourself. You went two years without accident with them. Wasn't your fault. If she don't listen to you, then she's gotta learn the hard way."

"I know, but it still sucks. At least it's gotten a bit better since you started being stricter with her, too."

"Yeah,... hate doing it, though." Daryl lamented. He had loved being the "fun daddy" for the past two years. Even though he was very much involved in raising their daughter and wasn't gone too long during the week, he hadn't wanted to be the disciplinarian during the time he spent with his little turtle. He had been the lenient one, and Kenzie, being the smart little cookie that she is, had used it to her advantage. As soon as Daryl had gone back to work Monday mornings, the little one had given Teddy hell and had disobeyed her mother every chance she'd gotten, because Daddy had allowed her to do this or that on the weekend. When it had threatened to spin out of control, Teddy had put her foot down and had explained the consequences of his actions to her husband. He understood perfectly, but he still hated being strict with his little girl. When she looked up at him with her large blue eyes, begging him to say yes, or when her bottom lip started to quiver and those beautiful big eyes filled with tears, he felt his heart break inside his chest a little, but it was important to him to have his wife's back and to raise his little girl right.

"I know that you hate it and so do I, but it's necessary. She needs boundaries and direction from both of us, not just from me." Teddy groaned out when he pressed his thumbs into another hard lump in her shoulders.

Daryl smirked at that. "Boundaries and direction, huh? Just like you need me to direct you during our playtime?" After this incident, he felt like a particular intense session would be coming up on the weekend.

"Yes. Just like that." she smiled. She reached up and put her hands on top of his to stop him, and turned sideways between his spread legs. "Have I ever told you how grateful I am that you're doing that for me?"

"Ain't just for you, darlin'. Wouldn't do it if I wouldn't get off on it, too."

"It's funny, isn't it?" she laughed a little while she traced invisible patterns on his t-shirt-clad chest.

"What is?"

"How all of this works. We're equals,... always have been, but as soon as it gets frisky, there's this power exchange and you're 100 % in charge, and I love it so goddamn much... but still you have an open enough mind to let me be in charge sometimes, when I need it. It all works so well. We're so good together, it sometimes makes me wanna cry. It's been three and a half years and I still can't believe that you wonderful, wonderful man are mine." her eyes started watering when the emotions bubbled up inside of her. Daryl smiled and kissed her gently. He wasn't startled anymore when she started crying out of the blue sometimes. Most of the times it happened when she was PMSing, and he knew that she was close to getting her period this time as well. It always made her a little emotional.

"Remember that the next time ya get mad at me for something." he smiled against her lips. "Now... wanna go to bed or watch some TV?"

"Let's see what's on TV." she replied and got up to turn on the TV and to get the remotes. Daryl pushed some of the small pillows that were lying around on the couch behind his back and got comfortable, before Teddy crawled back between his legs and settled her back against his chest. She switched from channel to channel while Daryl pushed his hands underneath her oversized gray sweatshirt and rested them on the warm skin of her belly. "Oh, 'Secretary'... I've always wanted to watch that movie. I heard it's good. Damn, already 20 minutes in... Hm, don't care... You up for watching it?"

"What's it about?"

"I'm not entirely sure, it's been a while since I read about it, but I think it's about a secretary who gets into a BDSM relationship with her boss." Teddy told him what she remembered about the plot, which wasn't too much, obviously.

"Yeah, okay." Daryl agreed to watching it. Teddy got up again and dimmed the lights before she quickly settled in between Daryl's legs again, sighing contently when his hands were back under her shirt and on her belly. They watched for a while, both thinking that the movie wasn't horribly bad, but not super good either. That was, until a scene came up, in which the lawyer spanked his secretary for making too many typos in a letter. It turned both of them on to the point of squirming against each other, as it brought up many dirty and very pleasant memories for them.

Daryl's hands slid up her belly, cupping her soft breasts in his big palms. He squeezed once, before he grasped her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, and pinched them roughly. Teddy hissed and moaned, and pushed her ass back against his rapidly growing erection. Daryl nibbled on her ear, letting his hot breath hit her and making her shiver. "Strip." he said in a low voice, but his tone was commanding, leaving no doubt in Teddy's mind that he meant business. Anticipation and lust alike built inside of her at record speed. She knew she was in for a good, hard fuck. Exactly what she needed.

She sat up on her knees, stripping off her sweatshirt, then pushing her sweatpants and panties down her thighs. When she was completely naked, she stood next to the couch and looked at her husband expectantly. Daryl was palming himself through his own sweatpants while his eyes took in Teddy's nude form. "Sit down... facing me." he told her and watched her sit down opposite from him, putting her feet between his spread legs. She bit down on her bottom lip, her breath coming out in quick little puffs while she watched him rub his erection. "Open your legs. Now, spread your pussy open for me. Show me how wet my naughty little girl is already." Teddy did as she was told, spreading her lips with two fingers, revealing her moist folds to his hungry eyes. "Two fingers... inside." he told her while he pulled his cock out of his sweatpants and started stroking his fist up and down the rock hard flesh slowly.

Teddy's mouth watered at the sight. She quickly plunged two of her slim fingers into her opening, wishing it would be his beautiful cock filling her instead. She finger-fucked herself, using the same slow rhythm he was using on his cock. It didn't take too long before he made her stop again. "Take 'em out."

Teddy whimpered in frustration at the loss, making Daryl smirk. "Good girl... Now lick them. Nice 'n clean." He watched her like a hawk and let out a groan when she sucked her fingers into her mouth, looking directly into his eyes while she did it. He had to stop stroking himself or he would blow is load right away. He loved his sexy little minx. She was so wonderfully naughty and dirty for him, it made **him** wanna cry. He got up on his knees and grabbed Teddy by the hair at the back of her head. He pulled her to him with a quick yank, licking her lips before he pushed his tongue between them to tease hers. He gathered her up in his arms and turned around with her. He propped her up against the pillows he had previously been propped up against, and spread her legs wide. "Play with your tits." he grunted as he positioned the tip of his dick at her weeping opening. He pushed in slowly, feeling every inch of her pussy stretching around him. That feeling simply never got old and he wished he would be able to feel it every minute of every day. Being buried inside of his wife was his own personal paradise. He took a couple of slow and deep thrusts, watching Teddy's eyes roll back in her head in pleasure, while she tugged at her nipples with her fingers and squeezed her soft mounds. Gradually he sped up his strokes, his right hand sliding up the middle of her body until he pressed two fingers against her mouth. "Open up."

Teddy parted her lips and sucked his fingers into her mouth. She let her tongue swirl around his thick digits, suckling greedily at them. like she would do with his cock. When he felt like they were properly lubricated, he pulled them out and brought them down to where their bodies were joined. He placed the two wet fingertips on top of her clit and gently rubbed them from side to side, pulling moan after moan from Teddy, begging him to please go faster, but he didn't give in to her pleas. Instead he grabbed her hip with his free hand, and on his next thrust back inside of her, he pulled her down on him, until he bottomed out inside of her. Teddy cried out and released her breasts. She clawed at him, torn between wanting him to back off and wanting him to stay put. She was close to her period and was more sensitive, so the uncomfortable pressure was stronger than on other days. She didn't use her safe word though, and Daryl knew not to stop until she did. He had stopped once, without her using it, worried that he was hurting her too much, but Teddy had ripped him a new one for it, because she had been on the verge of a gigantic orgasm when he had stopped.

So he stayed where he was, buried balls-deep inside of her. He only lowered his upper body, giving her something to hold on to, while her hands sought purchase. He pressed gentle kisses to the side of her neck. licking and sucking here and there, and nibbling on her jaw, while he kept slowly moving his fingers from side to side on her clit. Teddy was going crazy. The gentle ministrations on her clit were turning the pain into a wildfire of pleasure. She felt like he was slowly setting her body on fire. It spread from her center down into her thighs and even further down until her feet started twitching involuntarily. It also spread upwards, making her stomach clench, her heart race and her face flush. She was squirming under him like crazy, and Daryl loved every second of it. "Please... Daryl, please. Faster... please rub me faster... Fuck me. I need you. Please, baby, pleasepleaseplease."

"No." he murmured softly against the skin of her throat, smirking when she released a tortured-sounding whining noise. "This'll do just fine." he knew what he was doing. He knew exactly how to please his wife, and after the day she had, he would make sure to make her cum so hard, that she would be completely drained and would be able to go right to sleep when they were done. He kept rubbing her slowly, but when she started to constrict around his length, he started grinding his hips into her a little bit, groaning when he gave himself some friction. Teddy cried out again, digging her nails into his biceps as he drove her further to the edge. She needed to cum badly, the sensations he was creating inside her body were reaching the point of being too much to take and she helplessly tried to move her hips in an attempt to make him go faster. To no avail though. He had her pinned against the cushions perfectly, giving him all control over both their movements. Her head lolled from side to side as she panted and moaned, and writhed in pleasure. Daryl watched her with great satisfaction, he took great pride and pleasure in the fact that he was able to drive her into this mindless pleasurable haze. He was ready for her to cum, though. He wasn't able to hold out too much longer with the way she was clenching her hot, wet walls around his pulsing erection.

"Please... Good God... please, Daryl." she moaned breathlessly as the red-hot flames of her pleasure consumed her whole body. Her feet were still twitching, and now her thighs were trembling as well, her clit was starting to become over-sensitized and each stroke of his fingers added a little stab of discomfort to her pleasure. "Soclosesoclosesoclose..." she started chanting, and Daryl knew that she almost there. He pulled out a little bit, then he pushed back into her, hard and swift, his whole body surging up and covering hers as he sunk his teeth into her neck with a growl, as he fucked her with quick, little thrusts, only his pelvis and his fingers moving. Teddy screamed as her release washed over her violently, causing Daryl to cover her mouth with the hand that had previously gripped her hip. He was grunting and growling low in his throat as he fucked her hard and fast through her release, resting his sweaty forehead against her equally sweaty temple.

Teddy soon reached up and tore his hand away from her mouth, gasping for air. Daryl looked up and locked eyes with her. Teddy's eyes were shiny with tears again. Despite the hard thrusts he was delivering, she reached up and tenderly pushed his bangs out of his face with her fingers, revealing his gorgeous face to her, which she was now cradling between her dainty hands. "I love you so much, baby." she whispered under labored breath.

Daryl lowered his head and kissed her deeply in response, his thrusts slowing and turning long and deep instead. "My everything..." he murmured against Teddy's lips, making her smile that special smile of hers. The one purely reserved for him, full of adoration and love. He came, suddenly but quietly. It wasn't a big, explosive orgasm, it was gentle and slow, but not any less intense. Just different. He felt happy, loved, accepted, and deeply connected to his wife, and that was more important to him than anything else.

They shared loving kisses and intimate whispers, while they both came down from the high of their physical encounter. Daryl stayed buried inside of her, while Teddy kept playing with his hair, as their bodies cooled down. They were like two cats that were loving up against one another, their noses nuzzling and rubbing against the others' cheeks, forehead and chin, cuddling, sharing body heat and just enjoying being together. It lasted for almost half an hour, then they both got too cold to stay naked without being covered up. They pulled apart and finally got up to get ready for bed, where they fell asleep the same way they've been falling asleep for the past three and a half years; Teddy on her side, her back to him, and Daryl on his back, right next to her, with one hand resting on her butt. That never changed.

* * *

 

Their peaceful sleep was interrupted at 3 am. They both woke up simultaneously when they heard their daughter crying. "I got her." Daryl mumbled as he kicked off the covers, but Teddy put her hand on his arm to stop him.

"No, go back to sleep. You have work in the morning."

"Yeah, but my work is quiet and relaxed compared to being here with the kids."

"Johnny's not coming remember? It'll be quieter."

"I got her." Daryl used his 'no-discussion'-tone of voice. Teddy smirked while she watched him leave the room. He never admitted it out loud, but Daryl loved the nights when Kenzie needed them. She had been sleeping through the night ever since her first birthday, and only very rarely cried anymore. She knew that Daryl missed being her hero and soothing her back to sleep, so he jumped straight out of bed, every time his little turtle piped up at night.

As soon as Daryl had opened the door to his daughter's room, he heard the familiar rustling of his little daughter climbing out of her bed. She was a good girl, she always stayed in bed and waited until one of them opened the door. Even though the place was child-proofed, she would still be able to hurt herself by running into a wall in the dark. "Shhhhh... sweetheart... I'm here."

"Daddy!" the little girl wailed as she ran towards him with her arms outstretched. Daryl crouched and scooped her up into his arms. Kenzie buried her face in the crook of his neck and sobbed and hiccuped quietly, while Daryl gently rubbed his hand over her hair and back.

"What's wrong, Turtle? Did ya have a bad dream?" he asked quietly, trying not to wake her up too much, so she would be able to go back to sleep faster.

"Ouch. Ouch." she hiccuped in her little voice, and tapped her hand against Daryl's chin, making her father's heart hurt.

"That hurts?" he asked as he very gingerly touched the back of his index finger against Kenzie's stitched up chin.

Kenzie nodded and lifted her head in order to rub her eyes with her little fists. "Momma. Daddy. Tuttle want."

"You want to come sleep with Momma and Daddy?"

"Yessss." Kenzie nodded again and leaned her head back against Daryl's shoulder.

"Alright. Let's go. Momma will make the ouchie go away, too, alright?" He kissed Kenzie's forehead while she nodded and clutched him tighter. One of her little hands was tugging painfully on his chest hair, but he bit his tongue and just accepted it for the time being. It wasn't too bad after all. "She's in pain." he told Teddy when he entered the bedroom with their daughter in his arms.

"What time is it?" Teddy looked at the time and counted back eight hours, calculating if it was safe to give Kenzie some more pain meds. "Oh yeah, we're good. I'll get her something. You two snuggle up under here." she lifted the covers for them, and Daryl laid down with Kenzie resting nestled into his left side, with her father's arm safely cradling her. Teddy went into the master bath and opened their medicine cabinet. She grabbed the bottle of Children's Motrin Liquid and poured the right amount in the measuring cup, before she went back to bed.

"Okay, sweetie, here we go. Mommy has some magical princess potion for you. It will make the owie go away. It's nice and sweet and tastes like berries. You like berries, don't you?"

"Yessss!" Kenzie nodded and sat up with Daryl's help.

"Great." Teddy smiled and gently cupped the back of her daughter's head, while she brought the measuring cup up to her daughter's lips with her other hand. "Now drink up. That's a good little turtle. Wonderful sweetie. Now quick, gimme a kiss and then cuddle up in Daddy's arms again." Teddy got a loud, smacking kiss that tasted like berries, and Daryl got one too, right before Kenzie assumed her previous position and nestled back into his side. Teddy switched off the lamp on her nightstand and settled back in. Daryl used his fingertips to tousle Kenzie's hair, gently coaxing her back into slumber when the meds started to kick in. About half an hour later, they were all fast asleep again.

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"Choclit miwk! Pweaaase!" Kenzie felt better when the alarm woke them all up a couple of hours later, and she apparently already knew what she wanted for breakfast. "Momma. Pweeease." she was draped over Teddy now, holding her mother's face in her small, chubby hands while she begged for her favorite drink. Teddy laughed, and Daryl watched them with a smile. He loved these moments and he wished it would be weekend and they would be able to enjoy this a bit longer.

"Yes honey, I'll make you some chocolate milk. Chocolate heals all wounds." Teddy carefully sat up, hugging Kenzie and making her daughter laugh and squeal by rapidly kissing her little neck, making growling noises. "I love you, baby." Teddy smiled and lovingly kissed Kenzie's forehead.

"Too. 'gain momma. Again."

"Again? How about Daddy eats you up now and Momma gets started on breakfast, yeah?"

"Yaaaay!" Kenzie quickly climbed over to Daryl and threw herself into his arms. Daryl took over and buried his head in the crook of Kenzie's neck and acted like a growling bear, while he hugged her to him, relishing in his daughter's giggles and squeals. Teddy watched for a moment, then she quickly got up and went to the kitchen so Daryl would be able to have breakfast before he went to work.

"Hey Turtle. I got a job for you today. You wanna do something for Daddy?" Daryl smiled when they came up for air.

"Okay."

"I want you to be a really good girl for your Momma today. Listen to her, and no jumping on the couch. Momma will call me at work and tell me if you're being a good girl or not, you know?"

"Uh-oh!"

"Yeah, uh-oh is right, Turtle. Don't make Daddy come home earlier, alright? Johnny is staying with Uncle Hershel today, so you got Momma all to yourself. Just cuddle with momma as much as you can. That'll make Momma and Daddy very happy. You'll get to watch Sophia the First with Momma, if you're a good girl and you can have cookies and more chocolate milk. But only if you're a good girl. Okay?" Daryl bribed his little girl, knowing that Kenzie and Teddy both needed a quiet day, Kenzie especially since she shouldn't jump around like a little jackhammer yet.

"Okay." Kenzie nodded with her big smile. The promise of cookies and TV time made her very happy.

"Alright. Atta girl." he smiled and lifted her into his arms more properly, so he'd be able to get up with her. "Now let's see about that chocolate milk Momma promised."

"Kiss!" Kenzie requested, and Daryl happily obliged. His heart almost exploded every single time his daughter showered affection on both, him and Teddy. He never took it for granted and was thankful for every minute he got to spend with the family, he'd never thought he'd have one day.

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**Thank you for reading!**

 


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another one of my little glimpses into the life of Teddy and Daryl. Thank you to Slytherin_Princess10 for the inspiration. If you like to read Bethyl, you should totally check out her awesome fics.  
> Enjoy this little installment and tell me what you think. Thank you for reading.

 

“I wanna stay with Uncle Merle today!” 3 year old Kenzie Dixon announced on a sunny Saturday morning in September, during breakfast on the sun deck with her parents.

 

Teddy and Daryl weren't too surprised about Kenzie's wish. Their little turtle loved her Uncle Merle dearly and she thought he was the funniest person on the planet with his gruff demeanor and the bad words he always said. Even though he was still being Merle around her, it was evident how much he loved his little niece. She had him wrapped around her little finger. Maybe even more than she had Daryl wrapped around her little finger. Daryl still had to be a parent and had to be strict with her every now and then, whereas Merle let her get away with murder.

 

“Uncle Merle is busy on the farm, baby. I can't promise you that he's got time for you today.” Teddy told her daughter with a gentle smile.

 

“Can I call him and ask?”

 

“Sure thing, Turtle. After breakfast. Alright?” Daryl said with his mouth full.

 

“Okay.” She nodded, before she arched her little eyebrow and pointedly looked at her father. “Daddy, mouth full! No talking!”

 

Teddy had a hard time fighting a snort. She loved when Kenzie berated her father. It wasn't like the little one was wrong. They couldn't teach their daughter certain manners and rules and then not stick to them themselves. Teddy also loved the sheepish expression on Daryl's face every time his little turtle brought it to his attention that he had not stuck to the rules. Of course Teddy wasn't exempt from that, either, and of course it wasn't so much fun when her daughter berated her, but at least it meant that their daughter already had some manners instilled in her.

 

Daryl playfully narrowed his eyes at Teddy and her attempts to not laugh out loud. “You're right, Turtle. Sorry. Drink your coffee and stop chucklin' there, Momma.”

 

“I'm not doing anything. Just sitting here, totally minding my own business.” Teddy gave him her most sweet and innocent smile.

 

“Mhm.” Daryl grumbled with the hint of a smirk gracing his lips, while he finished putting Nutella on a piece of toast. “Here ya go, Turtle.”

 

“Thank you.” Kenzie happily accepted another piece of Nutella toast. Just like her Daddy (and pretty much all other kids), she loved her chocolate, and Daryl loved making that little breakfast treat for her on the weekends. During the workweek she wasn't allowed to have it and they tried to eat healthy and nutritious, but on the weekends, they indulged a little as a reward.

 

Little Turtle happily munched on her toast, unaware of what her parents were doing. They looked each other in the eyes, sharing meaningful little looks and smiles, while their bare feet touched and started playing footsie under the table. They were both very happy that after three years of marriage, little touches like that were still electrifying and exciting to them. Daryl didn't think too much about other couples, but Teddy was aware of the fact, that not a lot of married couples were able to keep things interesting after a while. They were lucky that they both loved each other so much and actually loved putting some effort into their relationship.

 

Teddy's foot slowly slid up north, over his shin and between his slightly spread legs. Daryl kept eating, his face not giving away when Teddy's slim foot reached her goal and gently pressed against his crotch. The only sign that he was affected by what she was doing, was a slight flare of his nostrils as he inhaled a bit sharply through his nose when she made contact. He kept eating and drinking with his left hand, while his right hand slipped under the table. He put his hand on her delicate, soft instep and slowly rubbed his thumb back and forth over her smooth skin, keeping her foot where it was. He wasn't rock hard, but his cock definitely stirred a bit while he enjoyed the inconspicuous, yet intimate contact.

 

He hoped that Merle would have time to take Kenzie for the afternoon, because he was craving some alone time with Teddy. Kenzie had started pre-school and once she had been settled in, Teddy had started taking classes to become a certified prenatal yoga instructor and a certified prenatal & postpartum massage therapist. Both of those classes only took 10-14 days to complete, but she was gone from 9 am until 6 pm during the week and from 10 am until 6 pm on both, Saturday and Sunday. So the last four weekends, Daryl had barely seen Teddy or spent time with her. Teddy would also teach birthing classes so she had also organized turning their spare rooms from a daycare into classrooms/ treatment rooms, while Daryl had spent more time with Kenzie. It had been wonderful as much as it had been exhausting for him. He loved her dearly, but on some nights he had been downright ecstatic when bedtime had rolled around. She had so much energy and a very strong will. Her tantrums were absolutely legendary, although she had quieted down a bit ever since she'd turned 3 years old.

 

After breakfast Daryl got the phone and dialed Merle's number for his daughter, before she grabbed it out of his hands. “Uncle Merle, it's me! Can we play today? Pwwweeeaaaase!!!”

 

Daryl held in a chuckle. Kenzie had always been pretty advanced where her speech had been concerned, but the word “please” gave her trouble to this day. He loved it, because it was so darn cute when she slipped up like that. He often felt like she was way too grown up for her age already, so whenever she acted like her actual age, he got a kick out of it.

He heard Merle bark out a laugh on the other end of the line and couldn't help but smile. Merle had turned out to be even better with kids than he'd remembered.

 

“Sure thing, princess. We can play. Ain't a problem.” Merle replied, making his niece squeal so loudly, that Merle had to tear the phone away from his ear. “Good Lord.”

 

“Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!! Packiiiiiing!!!!!” Kenzie all but tossed the phone back at her father and took of running towards her room.

 

“Hey.” Daryl greeted his brother. “Thanks for taking her, man.”

 

“Ain't no thing. Got no plans today. Anything to get my baby brother laid.” Merle smirked.

 

“Hey! Ain't like that. We didn't tell her to-”

 

“Relax, didn't say that. Jus' know that your girl was busy a lot the last month. Figured you'd hit me up soon what with Pretty Boy and Lady Margaret havin' their hands full with their own brood.”

 

“Yeah, right. Don't envy them.” Daryl gave a short laugh. As luck would have it, Maggie had gotten pregnant with twins on their second try for another baby. Now they had three boys to take care of, and it had only served to make Teddy and Daryl more sure than ever, that deciding that one kid was enough for them, had been the best decision ever. Their life was full enough. They were happy and they didn't have the desire to have more kids. Sometimes they fantasized a bit and lamented missing having a baby around, but those were only short-lived moments. Things were finally easier again and they wouldn't have it any other way. Especially not Teddy, who was more than just a little happy to be able to work again.

 

“When you bringing the squirt?”

 

“After lunch?”

 

“Sounds good. Whatchu makin'?”

 

“Some chicken-pasta-mushroom casserole. We'll bring you some, don't worry.”

 

“Hm, sounds funky.” Merle said, and Daryl was practically able to hear the frown in his voice.

 

“It's good, actually. Well, we'll bring some. Your choice if ya eat it or not. Guess I'll see ya around 2 pm then.”

 

“Yeah, alright. See ya.”

* * *

“Uncle Meeeeeeeerleee!!!” Kenzie was all excited and ran into her uncle's strong arms.

 

“Hey there, princess.” Merle greeted her with a smile, before his eyes fell on his little brother. “The hell is that?” Merle pointed at the duffel bag the size of a suitcase, which Daryl was carrying inside his little cabin. “She stayin' overnight?”

 

“Nope.” Daryl fought a grin. “Just stuff she wanted to bring. Ya got all afternoon to play, remember?”

 

“Hm.” Merle grunted while he pondered if his niece had anything left at home or if she had brought fucking everything.

 

“Alright. Got her water and juice boxes in there, too. Change of clothes, too, just in case.” Kenzie had been doing her business on the potty for about 6 months, but sometimes she still had a little accident. “If anything happens or if she wants to come home, just call. Got our phones on.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. Don't you worry, we'll have ourselves a gay old time, she won't even wanna come home no more.” Merle grinned.

 

“Right. Hey, Turtle... you gon' give Daddy a kiss goodbye?” Daryl crouched down and smiled at his daughter, who interrupted her process of setting up a tea party on her uncle's coffee table, in order to run over to her father and smack her lips down on his.

 

“Bye!”

 

“Bye, baby.” Daryl smiled and stood back up. “Be good.” he told Merle, making the older man laugh.

 

“Go and make your wife happy. See ya soon.” Merle laughed and closed the door behind Daryl.

 

“Come sit, Uncle Merle. The tea is getting cold.”

 

“How 'bout we go see the cows first, huh? And the horses?”

 

“But I already put tea in the cups. Princess Sophia is here. Can't send her home.” Kenzie explained like it was the most logical thing in the world.

 

Merle groaned inwardly, but he was game. He knew she got bored quickly and that she loved the animals. He was sure he wouldn't be stuck playing tea party for too long.

 

“Alright, alright.” Merle sat down next to her. “Ya got some cookies to go with your tea?”

 

“Of course.” She smiled and handed him an empty purple plastic plate, with imaginary cookies on them.

 

“What? No chocolate chip?” Merle played along, making Kenzie giggle.

 

“No. King Daddy ate 'em all.”

 

“Pffff, I can believe that! Little shit ain't changed a bit.” Merle scoffed.

 

“Swear jar, Uncle Merle!”

 

“I ain't got one.”

 

“You don't has a swear jar? But where do you put your money when you say a bad word?” Kenzie looked at him in surprise with her wide blue eyes, the exact same shade as her Daddy's. Merle felt a wave of affection roll through him when he remembered how Daryl had used to look up at him the same way, when he'd been Kenzie's age. Back then they'd already had to fend for themselves most of the time. He was glad that Kenzie would never know what that's like. She would always have her parents who loved and supported her.

 

“Don't need a swear jar, princess. I live alone. Ain't nobody hearing my swearing but me.”

 

“But I hear it. You need a swear jar!” The little girl stated decisively. “Get a jar! We make one now!”

 

“Ain't got no jar, princess.”

 

“Okay. Put a dollar in my bag and I take it home and put it in the swear jar there.”

 

“Fine.” Merle sighed and dug his hand into his pants pocket and dug out a one dollar bill. “Here.”

 

“Thank you!” Kenzie took it and quickly stuffed it in the bag, and while she was at it, she took another item out and handed it to her uncle. “Here.”

 

“Hell no!”

 

“Yes! It's a tea party. You has to dress up, too!” Kenzie insisted.

 

“Ain't wearin' no tiara, girl!”

 

“But you're Prince Merle. You has to wear a crown.”

 

“Fine. A crown. But this ain't no crown. It's a damn tiara.”

 

“Dollar, pwease!”

 

“Oh bloody hell!”

* * *

“Hey, there you are. Good.” Teddy looked up and accepted a kiss from her husband when Daryl arrived back home. “I was just planning the schedule and meal plan for next week. I give birthing classes on Tuesday and Thursday from 6 pm to 8.30 pm. So on those days you gotta have dinner with Kenzie alone and tuck her into bed after. Any idea what you'd like to eat those days? I don't want you to have to cook, so it would have to be something I can prep during the day and you'd just have to put in the oven for a bit.”

 

“Lasagna or that veggie pizza. Don't care. You'll think of something.” he rasped against her neck after he'd pushed her hair out of the way. He licked from the back of her neck to the junction between shoulder and neck, before he bit down with a growl.

 

Teddy's eyelids fluttered for a second as her breath hitched. She reached up with her right hand, still holding the pen between her fingers, and gently tugged on his hair. “Hey, focus. I need to get this done.”

 

“Plenty of time for that tonight or tomorrow.” he reached up and plucked the pen from her fingers and tossed it behind him. Next thing she knew, he pushed the straps of her top and bra down her shoulders and halfway down her arms with a quick yank, exposing her breasts within the blink of an eye.

 

All protest died on her lips when his warm hands cupped her breasts. “But...”

 

“No but. Time out, darlin'. Ain't been alone together in over a month. Need ya. And I don't just mean fucking.” he murmured into her ear, making her melt back against him.

 

“You're right. I need you, too.” she breathed when he pressed a kiss on the sweet spot just behind her ear.

 

“I'll get the hot tub ready. You gon' fix us some of that apple spritzer stuff? With ice? That shit is addictive.”

 

“You got it.” she closed her notebook with a smile and pulled up her bra and top again for the time being.

* * *

Half an hour later they were naked in their hot tub outside in the garden. Daryl fucking loved living out here and practically having his hot tub standing smack in the middle of these woods. Having his naked wife in his lap while sitting in the water and being surrounded by trees and beautiful landscape was absolutely a little slice of heaven to him. They were chest to chest with Teddy straddling him. She had her face buried in the crook of his neck while they simply hugged each other tightly and enjoyed having each other close without barriers of clothing, and interruptions. Daryl idly let his fingertips glide all over her back and shoulders, giving her some much needed TLC after a stressful month. “Proud of ya.” he murmured into her hair, causing Teddy to lift her head and look at him in surprise.

 

“Proud of me? What in the world for?”

 

“Everything. How ya run this family, taking care of all of us, meetin' all our needs and still do your thing with getting those certificates and all that stuff. And ya never ever complain.”

 

“Why would I? I'm very happy, baby.” she smiled and kissed him gently. “I mean, I would be lying if I said the past three years haven't cost me a lot of nerves and grey hairs, but ever since she's in school it's gotten so much better again.”

 

“I know. You're more relaxed again.” Daryl said smilingly. He was happy that Teddy had been able to regain some of her sanity again by no longer spending all day with toddlers, but it brought up a question for him. “That mean that ya maybe don't wanna play no more? You know... the rougher stuff?”

 

“I submitted to you even before we had a baby, Daryl.” Teddy grinned quietly, loving the little crimson tinge his cheeks were taking on. After all this time he still got a bit uncomfortable talking openly about some of the stuff they did.

 

“Yeah, but it got kinda amped up a lot since then... I'm talking 'bout that.”

 

“I love what we do, baby. I don't wanna stop. Unless it's something you would want.”

 

“It ain't. Was just asking.”

 

“Okay.” she nuzzled him a little before she kissed him lovingly. “Something else on your mind?”

 

“Nah, all good.” he smiled. “Can't believe it's been all good for over 4 years now. Except for some stuff back in Jasper. But in general... since I met ya... It's all good.”

 

“For me, too baby. Love you so much.”

 

“C'mere.” Daryl pulled her face down to his and kissed her with all the love he was able to muster. His hands started to travel downward again when their kisses grew more passionate. Teddy gently rocked against him, helping his cock grow to full length and girth. Daryl played with her wet nipples, drawing soft moans from her body. Not only had her breasts remained a bit fuller than pre-baby, but her nipples had remained more sensitive and receptive to touch as well. He rubbed them softly with his thumbs, circling first, before letting his thumbs swipe over them from side to side. Teddy rose up on her knees and reached between them. She took hold of his erection and pumped her hand up and down a couple of times before she guided it to her pussy.

 

“Mmmmmm...” she moaned quietly while their foreheads touched and they breathed each others air as she slowly lowered herself on his swollen dick. She kept moving slowly with gentle rolls of her hips. They made slow and unhurried love out in their hot tub, surrounded by the calming visuals and sounds of nature. They had missed their alone time and missed just feeling each other. Like Daryl had said, it wasn't **just** about fucking and getting their rocks off. It was about being close, intimate and connected, too. They stayed in the tub a little longer after they had both orgasmed. They cuddled some more and shared kisses and gentle touches before they got out and dried off. Daryl slung a towel around his hips, then he grabbed the second one and started drying off his wife.

 

“Hm...” he suddenly grunted.

 

“What?” Teddy looked at him questioningly.

 

“Someone was a bit sassy during breakfast. And I ain't talkin' 'bout our kid.” his voice was low and gravelly. When he looked up into her eyes, Teddy's breath hitched when she saw the heat in his blue orbs. “Been a while since I taught ya some manners, hm? Forgot all about that you're s'pposed to be a good girl for me, yeah?”

 

“Sorry.” Teddy breathed while she felt the power start to shift between them.

 

“Too late for sorry, darlin'. Get your ass inside. Want ya to sit on the dining table and wait for me.” he told her in his no nonsense tone of voice. “And let your hair down.” he shouted after her when she quickly made her way back inside the house. While she got into position inside, Daryl quickly put the cover for the hot tub back on it, then he went inside too and made a beeline for their bedroom. He went to his nightstand, pulling out the top drawer and removing the small key that was taped to the bottom of it. He closed the drawer again and went over to their closet and grabbed the big wooden box out of the back and took it with him to the great room, where Teddy was obediently waiting, like he'd told her to; sitting on the edge of their beloved dining table. Beloved, because it often took part in their playtime, just like it would today. “Hold your hands out.” he told her as soon as he had unlocked the box. He took out some rope and tied her wrists together, taking his sweet time doing so. “Now, be a good girl and bend over the table for me.”

 

With a little help from Daryl, Teddy slipped off the table and turned around. She bent over, resting her upper body on the tabletop, which she had covered with a sheet, before Daryl had come in. She tried to get as comfortable as possible and put her hands further up on the table, resting her head between her bound wrists, the rope just touching her hair. She shivered when she felt Daryl's fingertips skim up the inside of her thighs, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Just before he reached her center, he stroked his fingers back down towards her knee, smirking at the little frustrated sound coming from his wife.

 

“Didn't think I'd make it that easy on ya, did ya?” he chuckled and spread her legs a little further. He went back to the wooden box and rummaged through it, trying to find the items he'd need next.

 

“No.” Teddy mumbled while she unconsciously clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly in anticipation. She heard him set some things down on the table next to her, and her first inclination was to guess what it was, but she tried to shut off her head and just let herself feel. She would find out soon enough. She closed her eyes and soon felt Daryl's presence behind her. He put his big hands on her ass and rubbed and squeezed possessively while he enjoyed the view.

 

“Fucking beautiful.” he murmured, more to himself than to her. He squeezed her cheeks, then he spread them and let his thumb rub teasingly over her puckered hole. Teddy jumped a little and tensed reflexively. Even though she was very receptive in that area and loved anal play, her instincts still made her tense up at first. Daryl removed his hands from her body and proceeded to lube up a small butt plug which had an aqua-colored gemstone at the bottom. Teddy had insisted on the “pretty” toy, instead of choosing just a plain silicone one in black, and he had to admit, that paying a bit more had payed off. It looked pretty sexy when that gemstone was lodged between her butt cheeks. “Best relax now, girl.” Daryl used thumb and forefinger of his left hand to spread her cheeks again, and pressed the tip of the plug against her tight hole. No prepping her with his finger first. This was supposed to be a bit of punishment after all. Also, he knew she could take it and that it didn't really hurt her. It was just uncomfortable at first, and she actually got off on a bit of discomfort.

 

“Oh God...” Teddy moaned, and Daryl enjoyed watching the stainless steel plug forcing its way inside of her with his help. Teddy yelped and jumped again, when the widest part slipped through the tight ring of muscles. She breathed harshly as she got through that first uncomfortable moment. There was so much pressure, and it had her muscles flexing rapidly as they tried to adjust to the intrusion. She wasn't suffering at all though, quite the opposite, because her pussy was already wet and tingling.

 

“That's a good girl.” Daryl cooed and soothingly rubbed circles over the smooth skin of her ass. “You better make sure that stays in there until I take it out, or no reward for you, sweetheart.”

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

“Tell me... you have fun this morning, laughing at me in front of our daughter?” he asked while he squeezed her a little harder.

 

“No, Sir.”

 

“No? You wouldn't dare lie to me, would ya? 'Cause it sure seemed like ya had fun.”

 

“I'm sorry, Sir.”

 

“How 'bout we put your mouth to better use than laughing and tellin' lies, hm? Get up.” he stepped back and let her get up. He turned her around to face him, the fingers of his right hand threading through her hair at the back of her head and roughly pulling, making her tilt her head up to look at him. He stared into her eyes for a moment, letting himself be reassured that she wanted this by the trust in her eyes. He licked at her bottom lip and grasped it between his teeth, pulling at it until it snapped free. “Gonna use that pretty mouth of yours now, darlin'.”

 

“Yes, Sir. Please.” Teddy nodded eagerly. She seriously couldn't wait to get her mouth on him. It had been way to long and she truly did enjoy going down on him, no matter how much her jaw started aching sometimes. It was definitely one of the good aches.

 

Daryl grabbed her and lifted her back up on the table. “Lay down.” he said after putting a protective hand on the back of her neck, so she wouldn't fall back on the table. Once she was safely on her back, he pulled her further up, until her head hung over the edge. He stepped around the table and put one hand on the back of her head, lifting it a little, while he held his cock with his other hand, and guided it to her lips. “Suck my dick, sweet girl. Nice and wet.”

 

Teddy didn't have to be told twice. She parted her lips and let her tongue come out to play. She drew little circles on his tip and licked his shaft wherever she was able to reach. Daryl soon shuffled a little closer and pushed his cock into her mouth so she could properly suck on it. Teddy hollowed out her cheeks and gave him what he wanted. She let her tongue swirl along his solid shaft and suckled on the tip until he pulled out and lifted his cock, so she could pay some attention to his balls. She laved them with her tongue and sucked them into her mouth, making little noises erupt from his lips. He pulled back again and guided his length back into her mouth. While she pleasured him, Daryl noticed that she was pushing her hips up, squirming and looking for friction. The fact that she was turned on by this made it all so much better. He was glad he'd already cum before, or he'd have a hard time holding on to his control. Teddy sucked more vigorously, making Daryl grin. “You want all of it?” he felt her nod, causing him to inhale deeply, trying to calm himself. He didn't want it to be over after the blowjob already. He carefully pushed deeper and deeper into her mouth, releasing a groan when he felt himself slide into her throat. He looked down and put his left hand on her throat. He groaned loudly when he felt himself moving inside of it. “Fuck yeah, baby. Take it all for me, sweetheart. So good.” He had no idea how she was able to take all of him with the size he was, but he was damn thankful for it. It took all he had to only move his hips a little bit. It felt so good he wanted to fuck her mouth in earnest, but that was something they had tried before, and it was something that actually hadn't worked out. It had made her hurt and gag too much. This pace, she was comfortable with, and Daryl gladly fought against his instincts. He focused on her, letting one hand glide between her legs and rubbing her soaking wet pussy. “Want some of this?” the hum he got in response made his eyes roll back inside his head. He exhaled a shuddering breath and let his thumb find her clit. “Alright, since you're doing such a good job.”

 

He rubbed her, making Teddy moan and squirm. She put her feet on the table and used the leverage to push herself against his hand a little harder. She was so close, all she wanted was to cum and have him cum down her throat at the same time. She didn't realize that not only her hips were pushing against his hand, but that she was also pushing the plug out. The loud noise as it cluttered to the table tore Daryl out of his pleasure-filled haze. He took his hands off her pussy and her throat and carefully pulled out of her mouth. “Have a hard time remembering what I told you these days, huh? Too bad for you, darlin'.”

 

Daryl was actually kind of glad for the interruption. He had been really close to just giving in and let himself cum again. Now he was able to gather his bearings again and focus on having some more fun with her. He grabbed her bound wrists and helped her back up. He lifted her off the table and grabbed the plug next. “Bedroom.” he ordered and dragged her behind him by her bounds. Once there he sat on the edge of their bed and motioned for her to come to him. He pulled her to lay across his lap and let two fingers slide through her wetness. “You got any idea how fucking wet you are? Damn, girl.” he rasped and used his drenched fingers to rub across her butt hole, applying some more lube. Teddy moaned and shivered when he pushed the plug back inside. This time he didn't give her time to adjust, but slapped his hand down on her ass right away.

 

Teddy cried out when he made the plug move inside of her with the force of his spanking. She was so aroused that it was bordering on painful. She just wanted to cum. She didn't care how he did it, as long as he would finally get to it. He gave her ten slaps, before he let his fingers travel between her legs again. Her clit was so swollen that it protruded from its protective hood, and Teddy jerked violently when he touched it. “Oh fuck, please! Please, please, please. I can't take it anymore. Please.”

 

“Told you, no reward for you if you wouldn't keep that plug in, darlin'.” Daryl told her while he maneuvered her off of his lap again. He laid her on the bed on her back, spreading her legs wide and dipping his head in between to give her clit a little lick. “Aaahh.... shit! Please!” Teddy sobbed and desperately tried to get some more by pushing her hips up, but Daryl had already moved again. He pushed her bound hands up above her head before he settled himself between her legs, guiding his throbbing erection to her opening. The plug in her ass made her pussy even tighter than usual, and both of them groaned loudly when his cock filled her. He rubbed up so good against her g-spot, that she felt like she would lose her mind any minute now. “You can't cum until I tell you to. Better listen this time.” he pressed out under labored breath. He started moving, deep and even strokes inside of her, while he sucked and nipped on her nipples, making Teddy moan and whimper and beg helplessly. She wasn't even able to grab on to something, all she was able to do was lock her legs around him, but that didn't help much in soothing the throbbing ache in her loins. The pleasure was overwhelming and fighting not to give in to it was torture. Daryl took it up a notch and swiped at her clit with his thumb every now and then, really making her work for her big reward.

 

“Can I cum, Sir? Please!” Teddy begged once more.

 

“No, not yet.”

 

“I can't stop!”

 

“You can and you will.” he put one hand to her face and made her look at him. He slowed his fucking and nuzzled her nose with his. “Doin' so good, sweetheart. You're being a really good girl right now. Show me you can listen, and you'll get what you want. Just a bit longer.” he promised and made it even harder on her by bumping himself against her cervix. Teddy arched her neck and pushed her head back into the mattress as she started to shout out her frustrations. It wasn't too long until Daryl finally stopped, as he was reaching his breaking point as well. He pulled out of her and carefully removed the butt plug, tossing it to the side before he settled himself next to her on his side and pushed her leg up to her chest. He slowly penetrated her ass, giving her a couple of seconds to catch her breath, before he started fucking her with quick, but shallow thrusts. His right hand traveled back between her legs, slipping three fingers into her pussy while his thumb rubbed her clit.

 

Teddy was no longer coherent, she was in some kind of trance it seemed. She had quieted down and was just moaning and whimpering quietly, but she snapped right out of it, when she heard his voice in her ear. “Cum for me, Teddy.”

 

It took all of ten seconds once she had permission. She allowed herself to let go and dive headfirst into the pleasure he was giving her. The force of her climax robbed her of the air in her lungs as the sensations started in her clit and spread throughout her pussy before it radiated throughout her whole body, making it clench and jerk hard and rhythmically. Tears leaked out of her eyes, just like fluid gushed out of her and all over Daryl's hand, as her muscles kept contracting and contracting, making Daryl groan and curse as she milked his release from his body. Daryl kept rubbing her, and that's when she started getting loud again. She moaned and groaned as her pelvis rocked and stuttered of its own volition when he kept thumbing her sensitive clit, giving her another little orgasm right after the first one.

 

She brought her hands down and tried to grab his, but she was just a fumbling, shivering mess. “Stop.” she begged breathlessly, and when he did, she started to relax and slump bonelessly back in to the mattress when the adrenalin left her body. She didn't even realize that Daryl removed the rope from round her hands, but she registered when he enveloped her in his warm embrace, and pulled the covers over them. He was slowly and lovingly kissing her face and neck all over, while his hands gently caressed her.

 

“Love ya, darlin'. You're so damn beautiful. Fuck,... I love you so damn much, girl.” he whispered urgently against her skin.

 

Teddy slowly came to her senses again and started letting her hands roam his body as well, giving him the aftercare he needed, just like she did. They kissed and cuddled for almost half an hour, before they fell asleep in each others arms, both of them completely spent, emotionally as well as physically.

* * *

“Nuh-uh!” Kenzie shook her head in protest.

 

“What's wrong now?” Merle rolled his eyes. He loved her, but he was glad that her parents were just about to pick her up. “Ya said ya wanted radishes.”

 

“But Daddy always makes a mouse out of my radishes. And he makes a basket out of tomatoes and put baloney in it. I want a mouse and basket.”

 

“Well, tough. I don't know how to do that shit, so yer gon' have to eat it like any other person out there.”

 

“Dollar, pwease. Uh-oh... you broke yet?” Kenzie shook her head in her little “know-it-all”-manner, which drove Teddy up a tree, all the while holding out her hand for another dollar.

 

Merle was just about to say something, but he caught himself and just shook his head with a laugh. “You are really something, you know that? Just as much of a smartass as your daddy. And yeah, yeah, I know. Here's two dollars.”

 

“Thank you.” Kenzie grinned and stuffed it into her bag, just when Merle heard a car pull up.

 

“Ahhhh, that's your folks. Time to collect your dolls and toys, sugar.” Merle told her while he went to open the door.

 

When Teddy and Daryl came over from the car, Daryl bit his lip to keep from laughing. Teddy couldn't help but snort and giggle.

 

“What?” Merle asked with a frown.

 

“Your majesty...” Teddy giggled while she made a curtsey. It distracted Merle for a moment, while Daryl quickly snapped a pic with his phone.

 

“Awww, bloody hell...” Merle lamented and quickly tore the sparkly rhinestone tiara from his head. “You delete that right now.”

 

“Over my dead body.” Daryl snorted. Having a picture of Merle in a little girl's tiara might turn out to be useful sometime in the future. It was always good to have the upper hand. Daryl had found that out years ago and he was not about to let that advantage go.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**


	42. Chapter 42

“Is it true that I'll poop when I push during labor?”

 

The room in which Teddy was giving a birthing class suddenly went awfully quiet and most of the pregnant women and their accompanying partners looked at her with big eyes, seemingly holding their breaths.

 

“Yup.” Teddy answered with a little laugh. “Most of the time that definitely happens. More often than not.”

 

“Oh my God, are you serious?” another expecting mother looked at her with a red face and a horrified expression. “Nobody ever told me that!”

 

“Yeah, nobody likes talking about this stuff.” Teddy smiled sympathetically. “Mothers only ever tell you that you're gonna feel sick at the beginning and that you won't feel too hot at the end, but nobody ever tells you about stretching pains, hemorrhoids, increased farting, about all the complications you can get during pregnancy or that you might poop and experience quite an amount of vaginal tearing during labor. Those are the dirty little secrets.”

 

“I changed my mind.” yet another woman said to her partner. “You are **not** gonna be in there with me.”

 

The room was filled with laughter, but a lot of the mothers-to-be agreed with that woman.

 

“Are any of you planning on a water birth?” Teddy asked, and when she saw some raised hands she continued. “I suggest you get one of those little goldfish nets. It'll make it easier to fish the accidents out of the water. And I am totally not kidding.”

 

The room erupted into shouts of “eeeeewwww”, “gross” and “I changed my mind”, but there was laughter, too. “Yep, giving birth is not as pretty as it is on TV. And best laid plans often go straight out the window. Look at me, I used to be a doctor, I used to help deliver babies all the time. I had a great plan, which involved my husband not seeing what was going on down there. And what happened? I gave birth in the backseat of our car, in the middle of nowhere, with my brother-in-law behind me and my husband between my legs, playing midwife.”

 

“Did you poop?”

 

“Thankfully, I did not.” Teddy laughed, and in retrospect, she was insanely happy about that.

 

“So are there ways to avoid it?”

 

“Well, if there is time, you can ask for an ene-” Teddy didn't get any further, because suddenly the door burst open and the little whirlwind that was her daughter stormed into the room.

 

“Mommyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!” Kenzie almost knocked her mother off of the big rubber ball Teddy was sitting on. Teddy caught her daughter, and her balance, just in time and laughed when she took in her daughter. “What is this?”

 

“Daddy gots it for me. It's a Princess Sophia dress!” Kenzie exlaimed breathlessy, her big blue eyes all wide.

 

“Aaaaaawwwwwwww.” a chorus of hormonal pregnant women suddenly could be heard inside the room.

 

Kenzie was surprised and became aware of the other people. She turned to face them and grinned proudly. “I loooooove Princess Sophia. And now I look like her! Want to hear the song? 'Cause I know it!”

 

A kind of flustered Daryl appeared as well, blushing when all eyes were on him all of a sudden. He gave a shy nod to the room and cleared his throat. “Sorry, she got away from me.”

 

“It happens. I know how she is.” Teddy gave him an affectionate smile. “Honey, you look very pretty, but you have to go back up with Daddy, okay? Momma's still working.”

 

“Okay. Kiss.” Kenzie demanded a good night kiss, since she wouldn't see her momma until morning, because the class had just started, and Kenzie's bedtime was right after dinner with her Daddy.

 

“Awwwww.” There was that sound again. The pregnant women were probably picturing themselves and their future kids in this kind of scenario while they watched Teddy give her daughter a kiss goodnight. Teddy smiled and slid her hand along Daryl's bare arm while he picked up his little turtle and quickly took her back upstairs.

 

“Sorry, guys.” Teddy apologized.

 

“You have a beautiful family, Teddy. She is so cute.”

 

“Thank you. Both of them are just the best. Apple of my eye...” Teddy sighed happily, before she got back to business. “So, where were we?”

* * *

“Sorry about earlier. Had to take a piss.” Daryl apologized for Kenzie interrupting her class.

 

“Don't worry about it. It's not like a real school.” Teddy smiled while she ate the rest of the lasagna straight out of the dish, standing up, with her hip leaning against the kitchen counter.

 

“Fucking embarrassing though.” Daryl scoffed with a laugh. He hated having too much attention on him. Well, if it was strangers. If it was Teddy and Kenzie, he didn't mind one bit.

 

“Nobody minded. They just complimented me on my beautiful family.” Teddy smiled and put the now empty dish into the dishwasher. When she turned back around, Daryl was already wrapping his arms around her, and hugged her to his solid form. He nuzzled her a little before they shared a slow and loving kiss. Teddy smiled against his lips and let her hands rub over his chest and up to his shoulders, gently kneading a little. “How was your day, baby?” she asked when Daryl had pulled his lips from hers and was resting his forehead against hers.

 

“Alright.” he mumbled. “Forgot to put my lunch in the fridge at work. Mayo went bad, so I went to the store to get somethin' else. That's when I saw the costume. Couldn't help myself. Should'a seen her. She bounced around like one of 'em little rubber balls, she was so fucking happy.”

 

“I can imagine.” Teddy laughed quietly and slipped her hands underneath his arms and around to his back, gently stroking up and down while they kept hugging.

 

“She didn't wanna take it off for bed. Wanted to sleep in it.”

 

“Ha, that's not surprising. How'd you get her out of it?”

 

“Who says I did?” Daryl looked down at her with a grin. “Nah, kiddin'. Told her that not even Princess Sophia keeps on her dresses at night.”

 

“You are amazing. I don't think I would have thought of that.” Teddy praised him for that little trick.

 

“She was real happy.” Daryl mumbled with that cute little smile he sported most of the time when something caused him to smile.

 

“You look real happy, too.” Teddy remarked. It was true, his eyes were practically twinkling and shining with happiness.

 

“She didn't stop huggin' and kissin' on me, Teddy. Ya really should've seen it. She was actin' like her biggest dream came true.”

 

“It probably did. You know how much she loves Sophia the First.” Teddy smiled and got all mushy inside when she noticed Daryl's eyes starting to glisten with unshed tears.

 

“I know. And I was the one to make it come true. I was able to give that to her... no trouble... “ he took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to keep it together, and Teddy melted. “That's what I always wanted, ya know? Ever since I first saw the first turtle ultrasound pic.”

 

Teddy didn't even try to bite back her own tears. It was like, for the first time, Daryl was realizing, that he had turned into something he had striven to be, ever since he had first learned about them having a baby: a good father. He realized for the first time in three years that he was doing a good job, and was absolutely nothing like his own father.

 

“You are an absolutely amazing father, Daryl. Just like I always knew you would be. It's undeniable that you love her. It's in every look, in every hug, in every kiss... And she knows it, too. She was so attached to you right off the bat, remember? You are her hero, baby. You always will be. She will spend her adult years looking for a man, who is just as awesome as her beloved Daddy.”

 

“Let's hope that takes a loooong time.” Daryl laughed and quickly wiped at his tears, before he cradled Teddy's face in his hands and wiped the tears off her face with his thumbs.

 

“Yeah,...” Teddy agreed and happily accepted a tender kiss from her husband. She made a little content sound in the back of her throat when she felt his incredibly soft lips against hers, and melted against him. “Wanna watch some TV?” she asked after he had pulled away a little.

 

“Nah. Can we just hang out in bed? Just feel like laying down.” he told her. “Gotta take a shower first though.”

 

“Can I join you?” Teddy grinned.

 

“Hell yeah.” he grinned right back. He released her from her embrace and nodded over to the counter. “Grab the baby monitor, I'll get the shower started.”

* * *

Daryl's chin hit his chest as quiet rumbles reverberated in his chest and throat, when Teddy slowly let her lather-coated hands slip up his back, gently kneading some tension out of his sore muscles. In the background, “Without You I'm Nothing” by David Bowie and Placebo was playing. Not too loudly, so they'd still hear the baby monitor in case Kenzie woke up, but still loud enough to be heard over the noise of the water. Teddy loved the song and got lost in it, just as much as she was getting lost in feeling the naked, wet skin of her husband underneath her fingertips.

 

Daryl turned around to face Teddy and her hands unhurriedly glided over his arms, feeling every single inch of his strong, well-defined muscles, before she stroked her hands up his sides and over his chest. She leaned in and placed little kisses along his collar bone, gently nipping on his throat when she let her mouth travel to the other side, to repeat her ministrations. She smiled to herself when her hands slid lower again. Daryl had put on a couple of pounds. Not a lot, but his middle had filled out a little bit. He wasn't as skinny as he'd been three years ago, but his body was still a damn machine. A machine with the tiniest hint of love handles. She let her hands glide down his waist and slipped them on his ass. For once she was the once who squeezed his firm butt cheeks possessively.

 

“All mine.” she murmured against his chest, making Daryl chuckle, albeit not without a hint of pride in his expression.

 

“Ain't gotta worry 'bout that, darlin'.” he smiled down at her. “Ya still know that, right?”

 

“Yeah.” she nodded and kissed his chest, right where his heart was hidden underneath. “But sometimes it's still nice to hear you say it.” She nuzzled his chest hair and kept rubbing and squeezing his ass. “Can't ever get enough of you. Which reminds me, I was thinking about something...”

 

“What?”

 

“All this time we've been married, we've never really gone anywhere. Never really taken a time-out. I think we should do that. Kenzie is old enough to stay with my mother or Billy for a 3-day weekend... I wasn't thinking about going to Hawaii or something like that. We'll stay close, in case she gets sick or misses us too much or something like that, but I think we should get out for a little bit. You work hard, we have a busy family life... I want to be able to have a couple of days and just be there for you, you know? Just the two of us, like it used to be, before we had her. Just for a weekend. I think it would be really good for us.”

 

“Can't we do that at home? Why go anywhere?” Daryl liked the idea of having a couple of days to themselves, but he wasn't the type of guy, who desperately wanted to go on vacation. “Tell ya what, we own a big piece of land here, why don't we go campin' in our own backyard? Out by the lake? Been wantin' to do that ever since we moved here. We grab what we need from the house, take our bows, set up camp by the lake. We can take a dip in the water, hunt our food, make a fire... ain't nobody gonna bother us 'cause it's our property... How 'bout that?”

 

“I like it.” Teddy smiled. Back in Jasper, they had spent a weekend in the woods at least once a month. It had been a tradition, which they had wanted to keep up, even with Kenzie there, but it simply hadn't happened. Daryl had changed a lot in the past couple of years, he was more confident and happier with who he was, but when he was out there in the woods, he still was a whole different kind of animal, and Teddy just now realized how much she had missed that. The more she thought about it, the more she fell in love with the idea. She gave him a bright smile and kissed him happily. “Yes. Let's do that. Maybe next weekend or the weekend after that. Oh my God, I'm excited. Now I really can't wait.”

 

Daryl wore a cute little grin. He had definitely married the right woman. He returned her overjoyed kisses and wrapped her up in his strong arms. They made out a little bit under the warm water until it started to get cold and they shut it off and grabbed for their towels in order to dry off.

 

Teddy wrapped her hair up in a turban, while Daryl gently patted her shoulders dry and kissed the fragrant, soft skin. She smiled and put her hand against his cheek before she quickly turned her head and pecked his lips. “Oh hey, can you take her to school tomorrow morning? I have an early appointment.”

 

“No problem, darlin'. Need me to pick her up, too?”

 

“No, that's alright. Thank you, baby.” she kissed his wet chest, before she started drying him off, too, which ended in a little petting session before they went to bed.

* * *

Thankfully, the drive to the school wasn't a long one, so Daryl knew he wouldn't have to listen to Kenzie singing along to “5 little Monkeys” for what felt like a million times. Don't get him wrong, he loved spending extra minutes with his daughter, but even the parents with the strongest nerves on the planet, got a little fed up with having to listen to a song over and over and over and over again.

 

Today he got lucky, though. Kenzie only sang along twice, before she started telling him about all the things she wanted to do today. Drawing a picture for him was on top of her priority list, which had him smile from ear to ear. She wanted to say thank you for her pretty, new princess dress, so she promised to make it extra pretty. “Can I put glitter on it?” she asked Daryl, making him laugh.

 

“Whatever you want, Turtle. Surprise me.” Daryl smiled at her in the rear-view mirror. When he turned his attention back on the road a split-second later, he was suddenly gripped by fear and panic, when a car appeared right in front of him, coming right at them. He slammed on the breaks and instinctively reached his right arm behind him, trying to shield Kenzie, before everything went black.

* * *

Teddy was cleaning up the kitchen real quick, before an expectant mother would show up for her early acupuncture session. She was deep in thought, always planning the schedules in her head and thinking about all the things that had to get done during the day. She didn't realize right away that she kept wiping her hands on her jeans or that she kept taking deep breaths. Only when she took a trip to the bathroom, shortly before her client would arrive, did she notice that her whole body felt kind of tingly. Not in a good way, though. She felt nervous and anxious, like she wanted to pace the room, while she waited for something. But she had no idea what she was waiting for. She swallowed hard, trying to shake the feeling and focus on her client, but the feeling didn't go away.

 

She felt something in the pit of her stomach, but she wasn't able to identify exactly what it was. Just weird. She quickly called Daryl's cell, feeling like hearing his voice would help her settle down, but of course, he wasn't answering. He was driving and he always forgot to put his phone in that thingy that would enable him to put her on speaker phone without having to fumble around with the device. She hung up when the doorbell rang and told herself, that she would call him at work once she was done with her client.

* * *

Little Kenzie Dixon sat in her car seat panting and with eyes wide from shock. She was disoriented and numb and shaking. Of course she was too young to know what was going on with her. The only thing she knew was, that she was very, very startled and very, very scared. It was too quiet. She didn't like quiet. She liked music and her mommy's funny singing voice. She liked Roxy's bark and Snoopy's purring. She liked her Mommy's loud laugh and her Daddy's quiet chuckle. She liked screaming and squealing with the other kids. She liked noise. It gave her comfort. It let her know that things were alright. Not hearing any noise was scaring her.

 

“Daddy? I think we had a big accident.” she whimpered out the first thing that came to mind. “We have to go back to Mommy real quick. Please? Daddy?”

 

But Daddy wasn't answering. Daddy wasn't moving at all.

 

“No sleeping, Daddy. We have to go to Mommy. Daddy?” When Daryl still didn't react, she started crying, because she became more scared by the second. “Daddy?”

* * *

Teddy had to force herself to keep her knee from bouncing up and down, so she wouldn't injure the woman on her table. Work wasn't distracting her at all. That anxious feeling inside of her got worse and worse. She actually felt like she was on the verge of crying, when panic started to rise up inside of her. She suddenly had the strong urge to be with Kenzie. She wanted to call Daryl and tell him to turn around, pick Kenzie back up and bring her home right this instant.

 

She had never felt like this before, which to her meant, that something had to be wrong. When she had inserted all the needles, and the woman was supposed to rest for a little while, Teddy grabbed her phone again and called Daryl once more. When he didn't pick up again, she waited another ten minutes, but when he didn't pick up during the third try, she called her brother Billy.

 

“It's me. Is Daryl there yet?”

 

“No. I was wondering where he was.” Billy's reply made Teddy's belly clench even harder. Even with taking Kenzie to pre-school, Daryl should have been at work by now. The school was just a 10 to 15 minute drive away from home and it would take him another 10 minutes to get to work. Billy got up and walked to the window to look out on the street to see if maybe Daryl was just pulling up, but there was nothing.

 

“He is taking Kenzie to school, but he still should be with you by now.”

 

“Maybe something is up at school and one of the teachers wanted to talk to him?” Billy suggested.

 

“I don't know, but I have a really bad feeling, Billy. Like **really** bad.” Teddy said and Billy was able to hear her voice break. “I know it's a lot to ask, but can you please get in your car and take the route to the school and home he usually takes? I have a client with needles in her on my table right now, I can't leave. Please, Billy? I know it might be stupid, but please? I just have this horrible fear that something happened.” Teddy was begging Billy to go check the roads.

 

“I'm on it. Don't worry. I'll call as soon as I know something. It'll be fine, Teddy, I'm sure.”

 

“Thank you, Billy. Talk to you in a bit.”

 

They hung up and Teddy went back to work. She had to bite her lip and focus all her energy on keeping her shaking hands steady when she removed the needles from her client's skin, and thankfully, she was able to finish the acupuncture treatment without any incidents, although it had taken longer than usual. She was a mess and she apologized profusely for being out of it this morning. The young pregnant woman smiled and waved her off, assuring her that she hadn't even noticed that something had been different. Teddy was sure that the woman was lying and just being polite, but she couldn't care any less. She only had her family and their well-being on her mind.

 

She was putting the room back in order when her phone rang a couple of minutes later. Her stomach dropped to the floor and she was fumbling around with her phone like she had never ever handled one before. She had hoped to read Daryl's name on the screen, but it was Billy. Still, she was relieved that someone was calling and hopefully putting her out of her misery at all.

 

“Billy?” she asked breathlessly. A second later, an iron fist grabbed at her insides, when she heard his tear-stricken voice.

 

“Teddy?... Teddy Bear, there's been an accident.”

 

The call wasn't putting her out of her misery at all. It made the room spin and it made her heave as her world crashed down around her.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

 

 

 

 

 


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, just wanted to say that I did an assload of research for this chapter, because I wanted to get things as accurate as possible, since I don't like pulling things out of my ass. If you're a nurse or a doctor or have experience with these kind of things and see something that is completely inaccurate, please let me know and I'll try to edit it. Google is great, but sometimes it's a bitch to find the specific things you need to find out.
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy and let me know what you think please.

 

She wasn't surprised, but that didn't mean the news weren't shocking or devastating. She had felt that something was wrong, but she had hoped that it had been just a fluke. This was one of the few times she hadn't wanted to be right. Getting confirmation that something had happened to her baby and her husband,... she didn't even know what she was feeling, except for unimaginable fear. It was like the night her father had died. Like the night Milo had died. She had hoped that she would never have to feel this way again, but here she was, almost four years later, having to fear for the lives of her loved ones. _I can't lose my baby. Please God, I can't lose another child. I can't lose Daryl. If they are dead, then take me now._

 

All that went through her head within the short seconds she listened to Billy trying to keep it together on the other end of the line. “Billy? Are they... are they gone?” Teddy was barely able to speak. Her voice came out in a squeaky whisper, sounding almost like Kenzie.

 

“I don't know, Teddy. The car... shit Teddy, the car is a wreck...” Billy was in shock and he had no idea what he was saying.

 

“Where are they? Where are you?”

 

“They said the ambulance just left... Going to Piedmont Hospital in Jasper... Unresponsive, they said something about unresponsive...” Billy stammered as he slowly walked backwards to his car, his shocked gaze still trained on Daryl's destroyed truck. He couldn't imagine that Daryl had survived that crash. “What is it with this family and car accidents?” he murmured to himself.

 

“Unresponsive? Who? Daryl? Kenzie? Both?” Teddy asked with desperation in her voice. “Billy!!” she yelled into the phone when she didn't get a response.

 

Billy jumped and sobered up a little. “I don't know, Teddy. I'm coming to get you now. We're going to the hospital. Cancel your appointments, I'll call the farm and work, okay?”

 

“Okay.” Teddy was crying now as the first shock wore off and realization of what was happening started to sink in.

 

“Hang in there, Teddy. I'll be with you in a couple of minutes. I love you. I'll be right there.” he rambled before he hung up and called Hershel at the farm and Maggie at the office.

 

Teddy was shaking and working on autopilot as she opened her schedule and checked her appointments. She typed up a new message and sent it to everyone who had an appointment with her, telling them that her family had been in an accident and she had to go and see what was going on, and that she would get in touch with them to reschedule later. Once she had sent the message, she grabbed her bag and waited outside for Billy. He pulled up a couple of moments later, barely stopping, because Teddy jumped into the passenger seat while the car was still rolling, not wanting to waste even a second, and as soon as Teddy had slammed the door shut, Billy floored it, making dust and gravel fly up in the air as they took off towards Jasper.

* * *

“I'm looking for my husband and 3-year old daughter. They were in a car crash, they must have gotten here not long ago. Daryl and Kenzie Dixon?” Teddy was still shaking when they arrived in the ER.

 

“Ah, yes. They are currently working on your husband, you can't go back there, but you can go up to pediatrics. Your daughter was awake and responsive, when they brought her in. They are checking her out upstairs. I suggest you go see her while we wait for news on your husband's condition.”

 

Teddy felt relief when she heard about Kenzie being responsive, but she was still worried about Daryl. “Is he alive?”

 

“He was alive when they brought him in, but unresponsive. That's all I can say right now, we have to wait for the doctor.”

 

“I know.” Teddy was torn. She wanted to be with Daryl and Kenzie at the same time, but it wasn't possible. She felt horrible for leaving Daryl alone in the ER, but if Kenzie was awake, she was probably scared to death, and their child had first priority. She squeezed Billy's hand tightly and dragged him to the elevator. “Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay.” she chanted quietly while they rode up to the third floor.

 

As it turned out, the wait would be a tiny bit longer, because they were doing an x-ray on her daughter, but as soon as they were done, Billy and Teddy were allowed to see her. When Teddy saw their little Turtle, her flood gates burst open, just like Kenzie's, and Teddy damn near hugged the life out of her daughter, in that moment forgetting about asking about possible injuries, while the little girl cried hysterically in her mother's arms. Kenzie was trying to say something, but she cried so hard, that her words were unintelligible. Eventually, when the worst sobbing stopped, Teddy was able to make out the words “Daddy not waking up”. The words broke Teddy's heart and renewed the fear for her husband's life. They still had no clue what his condition was. Billy, having seen the wrecked car, had little hope for Daryl, but he wasn't fool enough to tell Teddy that. At least his niece seemed to be miraculously unscathed. From what he was able to see, she only had some tiny cuts on her face and arms.

 

The doctor didn't even try to yell over the noise of Kenzie's crying. She was in good condition, so he let Teddy try to calm her daughter down for a while. It took almost half an hour until Kenzie had quieted down. She let Teddy hold her in her arms like a baby and for the first time in over a year, Kenzie stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked on it, instinctively using the self-soothing method to help herself relax. That's when the doctor finally started talking and informed Teddy about her daughter's condition.

 

“She's fine. No internal injuries and no broken bones. Just some superficial cuts from flying debris. However, the experience might have traumatized her, which might require the help of a professional.”

 

“I know. I specialized in pediatrics. I remember what to do.” Teddy murmured while she gently rocked her daughter.

 

The doctor frowned and paused for a moment, until the coin dropped. “Oh, right. Dr. Robertson.”

 

“It's been Dixon for a while now.” Teddy corrected him. Then she looked down at Kenzie. “Does anything hurt, sweetie?”

 

Kenzie shook her head no and buried the side of her face deeper into Teddy's chest.

 

“Well, then you know how to proceed. You can take her home, but if you want, we can keep her over night for observation, although I don't think that's necessary.”

 

“I don't know... I... I don't know. It depends on my husband. If he needs to stay here or not... “ Teddy was at a loss. If Daryl would need to stay, she would stay with him, which meant Kenzie had to stay, too in that case.

 

But then Billy cut in. “She shouldn't be in this place longer than she has to. She should stay with family.” Billy told Teddy gently. He kept his voice quiet, not wanting to upset his little niece. Seeing the usually loud and rambunctious little girl reverting back into a baby right now was tugging at his heart strings. “If Daryl has to stay, then I'll take her with me to the farm, okay?”

 

Teddy breathed deeply. Her mind was a big ass jumble. “I can't make any decisions right now, Billy. I can't stop thinking about Daryl. I have to know what's going on with him, before I can decide what we're gonna do.”

 

“Okay. Sorry.” Billy nodded and squeezed her shoulder while he leaned down and softly kissed his sister's temple.

 

They left the pediatrics ward a little later and went to the waiting area where they were supposed to wait for the doctor who was working on Daryl. Merle and Maggie were already there, having arrived a couple of minutes earlier. Merle looked like he was about to burst while he paced all along the small area. This was completely new to him and he was not doing well with it. Somehow nobody was able to tell him what was wrong with his little brother and his niece, and it was quickly wearing him down. Billy dashed towards Maggie when she got up from her chair, and hugged her to him as tightly as possible. Teddy swore she saw Merle sigh in relief when he spotted her with Kenzie in her arms. He stopped pacing and looked at her with a concerned frown. “My little princess okay?”

 

“She's fine. Just having the shock of her life.”

 

“Hey, princess.” Merle stroked his finger over Kenzie's cheek. “Got a guardian angel, huh?”

 

Teddy nodded, when Kenzie didn't reply. The little girl just slowly waved at her uncle. “Yeah. She does, and I'm pretty sure it's the man she's calling Daddy.”

 

“How is he?” Merle was clenching his fists, steeling himself for bad news.

 

“I don't know. The doctor will come talk to us when they are done with their tests and whatnots.” Teddy released a strained sigh as she tried to shift Kenzie in her arms. “I need to sit down. She's getting heavier by the second.”

 

“Lemme take her.” Merle offered, but Teddy shook her head. Her daughter was alive and well with only a couple of scratches on her. Teddy was silently thanking the heavens, and no matter how heavy Kenzie got, she was not ready to let her daughter go just yet. Merle nodded in understanding and went back to pacing once Teddy sat down. “What happened?”

 

“I don't know, Merle.” Teddy replied quietly and only then realized that she hadn't even asked Billy if he knew what had happened.

 

“I talked to the cops real quick.” Billy spoke up. “According to witnesses the other driver tried to pass a delivery truck,... maybe they didn't check the oncoming traffic, I don't know, but obviously they didn't see Daryl's car until it was too late and they crashed into him.”

 

“If you talked to the cops, why didn't you know if Daryl and Kenzie were alive or not?” Teddy wanted to know.

 

“I don't know Teddy. It was all really fast. I told you they said something about unresponsive. I was shocked, too. I guess I kind of zoned out or something.”

 

“Zoned out? When someone was talking about whether or not your family was alive?” Teddy asked incredulously.

 

“Don't be mad at me, Teddy. Be mad at the other driver.”

 

Teddy closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. “Sorry. I'm just... if something happens to him...”

 

“He's strong, Teddy. He will be fine.” Maggie smiled as encouragingly as she was able to muster, only to receive a hard squeeze from her husband's hand. Maggie looked at Billy with a frown, and Billy gave her a meaningful look, making Maggie's eyes widen. When he noticed Teddy focusing on Kenzie, Billy carefully whispered into Maggie's ear. “I don't know if he's gonna make it, Maggie. The car... the front is totally destroyed. I don't know how he made it out of that car alive in the first place.”

 

Maggie swallowed hard, the rest of the color draining from her face. She knew that Teddy's and Daryl's relationship was a special one. Their love was intense and strong unlike anything she had ever seen before. She also knew that Teddy loved Kenzie with everything she had, just like a mother should, but she wasn't sure if it would be enough to keep Teddy up and running, should Daryl not make it out of this alive. Suddenly the realization that they could truly be losing Daryl right now, and that they might lose Teddy eventually, too, hit her, and Maggie had to bite her tongue hard in order to keep from crying. Two small tears escaped her eyes anyway and she quickly wiped them away before Teddy would notice that she was crying.

 

They waited and waited. Kenzie eventually fell asleep in Teddy's arms, and even though her arms were tired and hurting, Teddy pushed through and kept holding her little girl to her chest. Merle was going insane. Patience was not his strong suit, especially not in this situation. Daryl had always been fine. Sure, he'd gotten injured, but it had never taken this long to patch Daryl back up. It worried Merle to no end, that this was taking so long. “The hell are they doing? Been almost two hours.”

 

“Probably the usual battery of tests. Probably a CT scan. X-Rays. Maybe he's in surgery...” Teddy explained. “If he has internal injuries and internal bleeding, they need to take care of it right away.” the thought made her stomach churn, but she knew that the possibility for that scenario was pretty high. Unfortunately, she also knew the most common injuries in a car crash and their (sometimes deadly) consequences. She knew that Daryl might no longer be the man he used to be from now on. Some head injuries changed people for the rest of their lives. If he had suffered brain damage, he might have trouble talking and/or thinking from now on. He might lose motor skills. He might suffer from memory loss. His spine could be injured. He could be paralyzed... confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, utterly dependent on those around him. It would kill him. Even if he made it out alive, in a way, he might still be dead after this.

 

And just like that, Teddy started sobbing uncontrollably, startling the hell out of the others. Merle strode over to her and carefully lifted his niece out of Teddy's arms. “Give her to me, come on.”

 

As soon as her arms were free, Billy pulled her into his, trying to comfort his upset sister. “Sssshhhh ssshhhh sshhhhhh, it's okay. It's gonne be okay, Teddy Bear.”

 

“I can't lose him, Billy. I don't know how to do it without him.”

 

“You won't have to.”

 

“You don't know that.”

 

“Neither do you, Teddy. We don't know anything yet.”

 

“Yeah, but I still know all the things that can happen, remember? Even if he's alive, he might not be Daryl anymore.”

 

Merle frowned at that. “The hell does that mean?”

 

“Head injuries are very common, even with airbags. He could lose his memories. He might not be able to talk or walk... depends on what part of the brain is injured... He-”

 

“Don't do this, Teddy. Shut up, okay? Just shut up and let's wait for the doctor.” Billy didn't want to hear it, and judging from the expression on Merle's face, neither did he. Teddy sighed and buried her face in her hands, silently crying, while the torturous wait continued.

* * *

“Dixon family?”

 

Teddy and Merle were up from their chairs in the blink of an eye when a doctor called their name. Merle quickly passed Kenzie on to Maggie, and stood next to his sister-in-law. “Yes, here.” Teddy was already breathless as her throat felt like it was closing up from all the anxiety.

 

“You're the wife?”

 

“Yes, and this is his brother. What's going on? How is he?”

 

“He is still unconscious. He suffered a bad concussion and the scans shows some brain swelling. We surgically placed an intra-ventricular catheter through your husband's skull into the brain to monitor the pressure inside the skull and drain excess cerebral spinal fluid. He has a couple of broken ribs, one of which punctured his lung. Fortunately it was just a small puncture and did not require surgery. However, he is on a ventilator and we are giving him high doses of oxygen to help him and the lung, and to ensure that his blood and brain get supplied with enough oxygen while we take care of the brain swelling. He also fractured his right wrist, but other than that, no anomalies showed up and his spine looks fine, too.”

 

Teddy breathed a huge sigh of relief. At least this would rule out Daryl being paralyzed for now. Her relief, however, was short-lived. “He's comatose, though?”

 

“He's a 8 on the Glasgow Coma scale.” the doctor explained to Teddy and Merle. “His eyes opened to painful stimulus, he made incomprehensible sounds, and movement-wise, he withdrew from pain.

 

“What's that mean? He in a coma or what?” Merle was agitated. He didn't understand why the damn doctors were never able to answer with a simple yes or no.

 

Teddy put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him down, while she replied for the doctor. “Yes, he's considered comatose. There's 15 points max, which means awake and alert, then there's the 3 point minimum, which means deep coma.”

 

“So he's in a fucking half-coma, or what?”

 

“He's not completely unresponsive, which is good.” Teddy sighed and rubbed her tired, pale face with her shaky hands. “But yeah, he's out of it and his brain is injured, which is not very good.”

 

Merle wanted to punch something. He felt utterly helpless and he felt like he wasn't getting the answers he wanted. “What now? You gonna do another surgery? Help him wake up or something?”

 

“Now we wait.” The doctor explained. “We monitor him closely and do everything we can to get rid of the swelling in his brain. Once he responds to treatment, he should start getting more responsive in general, and ultimately, wake up. It might only take a couple of days, but it might also take weeks or even months. Right now, I can't say for sure. We'll have to wait and see how fast the swelling goes down.”

 

“Pffff...” Merle shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe that all them damn quacks were going to do, was sit on their asses and wait. “Awesome.”

 

“Can we see him?” Teddy asked, eager to finally see Daryl.

 

“Yes, but not all of you.”

 

Billy nodded and put his hand on Teddy's back. “It's okay. We'll go home. Let the others know. They're worried, too. We'll take Kenzie with us, alright? She's out cold anyway. I'm guessing you're gonna stay until he wakes up?”

 

“Yeah.” Teddy nodded and went over to give her daughter a kiss on the cheek. “But am I doing the right thing? Shouldn't I stay with her, too? But I want to be here when he wakes up. But if he's on a ventilator,... I don't want her to see him like that and I'm sure he wouldn't want her to see him like that either. What do I do?” Tears ran down her face again, because Teddy was completely torn.

 

“We'll take her with us, Teddy. She can sleep and eat something. Maybe being with the boys will distract her a little. We'll tell her that Daryl is okay, that he needs to sleep for a bit, and if she wants to be with you, we can bring her here and you can spend some time together in the waiting room while one of us stays with Daryl?” Maggie suggested. She understood Teddy all too well. She would be just as torn. Kids usually came first, but she also understood Teddy's need to be with Daryl. Maggie would want to be there for her husband, too. Kids were more resilient and since Kenzie wasn't injured, Maggie was convinced that maybe some distraction would be good for the little girl.

 

Teddy nodded. She had a guilty conscience, but she knew Kenzie was fine and would be in good hands. Daryl was all alone and she knew very well, that things could go south quickly when brain swelling was involved. If this were the last hours they would ever spend together, then she wanted to be there and make the most of it. She gave Kenzie one more kiss, then she hugged Billy and squeezed Maggie's arm with gratitude, before she and Merle quickly followed the doctor to Daryl's room.

* * *

Teddy had worked in a hospital for years. She knew what to expect. On their way to Daryl's room, she thought she was prepared... But when they entered the room and Teddy saw her husband, she realized that she had been grossly mistaken. She was not prepared. Not at all.

 

“Merle.” she gasped and blindly reached for her brother-in-law's hand and squeezed the life out of it. She slapped her hand over her mouth as tears filled her eyes once more.

 

Yes, she had known what to expect, but seeing her usually active, strong and virile horse-of-a-man husband laying there, unconscious, helpless, with a cast on his right wrist, bruises and cuts on his face, IV's in his arms, a catheter in his left wrist to constantly measure his blood pressure, a feeding tube, the tube in his skull with the drainage bag, which was filling with cerebral spinal fluid. With a breathing tube in his mouth, hooked up to the ventilator, electrodes taped to his chest, which were hooked up to a heart monitor... It was slaying her.

 

“Fucking hell...” Merle muttered equally shocked. He had tears in his eyes. Seeing his baby brother in this position was a nightmare. Merle's complexion had turned ashen as he squeezed Teddy's hand right back.

 

The doctor tore them out of their daze a moment later. “If anything happens, just press this button.” he explained, then he left the room.

 

Merle swallowed hard, but he released Teddy's hand and pulled up a chair for her.

 

“Thank you.” Teddy murmured quietly, but she didn't sit down right away. Very carefully, she worked around all the tubes that were sticking out of his body, and gently smoothed some hair out of his face before she tenderly kissed his temple. “Oh baby...” she sighed quietly and swallowed down a sob. She took a moment to get her act together, before she carefully kept stroking the skin of his face. “Daryl? It's me. Teddy. You were in an accident. You're in the hospital. You're gonna be okay. They are taking good care of you. You will get through this, but you need to rest. Kenzie is fine. She just has a couple of scratches on her. You don't have to worry about her. You just rest and heal, you hear me? Take your time. However long it takes, you're not alone. Merle and I, we're both here. We'll wait. You're not alone. Don't worry about a thing. Just rest, baby.”

 

“Think he can hear you?”

 

“Maybe. I don't know. It's different for everybody.” Teddy shrugged. “Some patients with similar injuries wake up and say they heard what people said and kind of dreamed about it, while others don't remember anything. In case he can hear us and will remember, I just want him to know that we are here and that everything is fine.”

 

“Is he gonna be fine?” Merle sounded doubtful. “This shit looks fucking serious.”

 

“He's still young, he's strong and usually healthy as a horse... He has that going for him. Brain swelling is always serious, but if the treatment works, his chances are good. There's always risks, but we have to hope for the best. The ventilator is good for him right now. It takes some strain off his injured lung and it makes sure that his brain gets enough oxygen, too. If the oxygen supply would get cut off... well, I guess I don't have to tell you that that would be pretty bad...” Teddy trailed off and took a deep breath, before she plastered a little smile on his face. “But he'll be fine. He's strong. He'll be alright. I'm sure they'll remove the breathing tube in just a couple of days. Maybe sooner, depending on when he wakes up and such. Small wounds tend to heal on their own and surprisingly quick. If he responds well to medication and the swelling in his brain goes down, he probably won't need the tube and he'll be fine with these two little plastic prongs that go in the nose, know what I mean?”

 

“Yeah, like the old fucks that roll around with their oxygen tanks, right?”

 

“Yeah, right.” Teddy laughed quietly. “His lung might work properly again in as soon as 48 hours, but real recovery will take weeks. Having to make him rest and take it easy for weeks, that's gonna be the real challenge here.” Teddy grinned, when Merle huffed with amusement.

 

“He's gon' go insane. And he's gon' drive you insane, too.” Merle smiled.

 

“Exactly.” Teddy nodded before she grew more serious again. “We're laughing now, but it's gonna be tough. You know how he is. He needs something to do. He'll be mostly confined to the house for some time. He can't work with his broken wrist anyway, then the lung issue and probable brain issues. He might experience bouts of shortness of breath for a while, he won't be allowed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk.. he won't be able to do much of anything, except for walking and some very light activities at first. He might get a whole lot of headaches... Well, if he wakes up relatively quick and recovery goes well, then, the books say, that he can resume sexual activity as soon as he feels ready. That might help him compensate for not working, but he probably won't be able to do what he wants to do.” Teddy chuckled quietly and touched Merle's arm for a moment, when he made a disgusted noise. At least it had lightened the mood for a second there. “Sorry... I'm just kidding. He probably won't feel like doing it for a long while. But then again, when does Daryl ever do anything the conventional way? Poor guy, he'll be very frustrated most of the time.”

 

“Shit... he's gon' get angry for sure, sugar.” Merle realized what the consequences of Daryl sitting on his ass for weeks will be.

 

“That's what I'm afraid of. I know what he's like when he flips out... I trust him, but he will be highly frustrated after a while. As you said, his frustration always leads to anger and I'm a little worried that Kenzie will see him lash out. I don't think he would lash out at her, but I don't know if he will be able to control himself enough to not lash out at me in front of her, you know?”

 

“Hm... gotta wait and see, I reckon.”

 

“Yeah. Damn, we shouldn't talk about it. Not here. I don't want him to worry.” Teddy softly kissed Daryl's temple again. “I love you, baby. I love you so, so much. No matter what happens, I'll be there for you and help you through it. No matter how hard it might get, I'll always be there. But for now, the only thing that matters is that you get well.”

 

“What do we do now?” Merle asked as he started to feel a little restless himself.

 

“Now we wait.” Teddy sighed.

 

“Alright. Better get comfortable. I'll get us some coffee, alright?”

 

“Okay. Thanks.” Teddy nodded with a grateful smile and watched him leave, before she focused back on her husband, repeatedly stroking and kissing his face, while she waited for Merle to come back and for Daryl to show signs of improvement.

* * *

“Hey, baby brother.” Merle sat down in the chair next to Daryl's bed and put his hand on Daryl's arm, where no tubes were sticking out. Such a spot seemed hard to find on Daryl's body right now. “Teddy ain't gone, don't worry. She's in the waiting room with the little princess. Brought her over jus' now. She's doin' fine. I slept next to her bed last night, watched out for her, now that ya can't do it yourself. I got your back, Daryl. I'm taking care of 'em until yer back with us.” Merle was fibbing a little bit. He'd slept next to Kenzie's bed, because the little girl had woken up crying a couple of times, but with her big, strong Uncle Merle next to her, she had thankfully been able to go back to sleep. “You remember that time when I got out of juvie and me and my boys went into the woods to camp out there for a couple of days? You were 8 or 9 years old, I think. You didn't wanna stay home, so ya followed us. Then ya came up on that stream where we camped out on that little isle that was surrounded by it? We crossed it by puttin' down a huge-ass plank, but we removed that, just before you showed up. Told ya, that if ya wanted to stay with us, you were gon' have to jump over. I knew you were never gonna make it,... was too fucking wide, but I figured, you jumping in the water and getting soaked was punishment enough for followin' us. Told ya to go home or jump if ya really wanted to stay... So you went back a couple of paces. Ha, more than a couple... thought ya were gonna walk backwards all the way back home. But then ya started runnin', as fast as those skinny little legs of yers would carry ya. And ya jumped. Ya leaped over that fucking stream like some kinda puma, man. Sprained yer ankle, when ya landed, but you just walked it off, like it wasn't no big deal. Need ya to do that again. You can do it, little brother. Need ya to jump and come back over to our side. Weird as fuck seein' ya so damn still. You come back to us, ya hear? You ain't done here, yet. Not by a long shot. Ain't gon' have ya go before me. Ain't no way, baby brother. So you do what you do best; you fight.” Merle stopped talking when he realized that he was going down a dark path. Teddy had stressed that it was important to keep things light and hopeful, while talking to Daryl, in case he did hear them. Teddy had told him, that Daryl had briefly come to a couple of times, and the doctors were also saying, that Daryl had been showing good improvement over the past 36 hours, that he was on a good way, but Merle didn't trust them. To him it was just not right that Daryl was still out of it most of the time and not moving around, being a 'restless fuck' and driving him up a tree. Most of all, he was scared. He wouldn't even admit that fact to himself, but he was scared as hell that things might take a turn for the worse.

 

A little further down the hall, in the waiting area, Teddy cuddled her daughter and kissed her little face all over.

 

“I want Daddy.” Kenzie pouted a little, but her demeanor wasn't nearly as forceful as usual.

 

“I know, sweetie. But Daddy needs to sleep.”

 

“But he slept already.”

 

“I know, but it's not enough, yet.”

 

“Because Daddy hit his head?”

 

“That's right, Turtle.” Teddy smiled gently and played with her daughter's bangs. “He hit his head and needs to sleep a lot for the owie to go away. And when Daddy comes back home, his head and ears might hurt if we're too loud, you know? We can't yell around Daddy anymore. Do you think we can do that?”

 

“Yes!” Kenzie nodded quickly. “I whisper so Daddy's head don't hurt, yeah?”

 

Teddy laughed quietly. “You don't need to whisper all the time. Just talk like you're talking to me right now. Okay?”

 

“Okay! When is Daddy coming home?”

 

“I'm not sure, yet. When he slept enough. It might be a bit longer.”

 

“I miss Daddy. I wanna go to him.”

 

“I know, baby. Hey, how about we write him a letter? You tell me everything you want to tell him, I'll write it down and when Daddy wakes up, we can show him what he missed. This way you won't forget telling him anything and Daddy can get caught up when he's home? How's that?”

 

“Yaaaaay!” Kenzie nodded eagerly.

 

“Okay. Hold on...” Teddy shifted Kenzie in her lap in order to fish her phone out of her pants pocket. “Let me send grandma a quick text, so she can bring stationary and your glitter pens, alright?”

 

“And stickers.”

 

“Of course, and stickers.” Teddy smiled and kissed Kenzie's forehead before she started typing the message to Bernadette, who was supposed to take Kenzie for the rest of the day and overnight. Teddy and her mother weren't really on speaking terms, but whenever it was impossible to prevent an encounter, they were civil in front of the children. Most of the time Daryl handled setting up Kenzie's visits with her grandma, and tried to be the one to drop her off and pick her back up in Jasper, but sometimes Teddy had to do it, if something came up at work.

 

Bernadette arrived half an hour later, much to Kenzie's joy, and hugged and cuddled her granddaughter. She had always been kind of a shitty mother to Teddy, but she was an amazing grandmother to Kenzie and to Billy's three sons. Bernie handed over the bag with the paper, stickers and pens to her granddaughter and let her draw a picture for her Daddy first.

 

“How is he?” Bernadette asked when she sat down on the chair, next to the one Kenzie was using as a desk.

 

“He's getting there. He's starting to regain consciousness more often, which is good, but so far he's always tried to rip out the tubes and IV's, so they had to restrain him for the time being.” Teddy replied and had to take a deep breath in order to get herself in check. Daryl hated getting restrained. They had tried during sex years ago, when she had been pregnant, and even then he hadn't liked it. It was killing her to see him like this, but it was for the best. “The swelling in his brain has gone down and they will take him off the ventilator tomorrow morning and continue oxygen therapy with a mask instead. He is able to breathe on his own and they expect him to wake up soon.”

 

“That sounds promising.”

 

Teddy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, so far, so good.”

 

“I know what you feel like, Theodora. If there's anything you need...”

 

“I'm good. I just need him to be okay.”

 

“Can I go in and see him while you two write your letter?”

 

“Yeah, sure. Merle's in there right now, but I'm sure he could use a smoke.” Teddy told her mother.

 

“Alright. I won't be long, and then I'll take the little lady with me. Rosario is already in the kitchen whipping up some treats for her.”

 

“That's nice. When you talk to him, keep it light and happy, okay?”

 

“I know.” Bernadette got up and asked for directions to Daryl's room. Teddy pointed her in the right direction, before she knelt on the floor next to her daughter and let Kenzie tell her, what to write down.

* * *

“Hello, Merle.” Bernadette smiled at the older Dixon.

 

“Ma'am.” Merle nodded in greeting.

 

“I don't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to see him real quick.” she looked over at Daryl and felt her heart hurting. She might not have too much love for her daughter, but she and Gerald had always loved Daryl like a son. It was heartbreaking to see him in this condition. “Hello, sweet boy.” Bernie smiled gently and carefully put her hand against his cheek. “I hope you feel well. I miss having you around. As soon as you're out of here, I'll make that apple pie that you love so much. Oh, and Rosario will make that deep-fried ice cream. I still remember the expression on your face, the first time you had it during family dinner. It was a delight to watch you eat. You just watch out, we'll pamper you so much, you'll be back to old form in no time. And then some. You will probably have to jog through the woods with Roxy in order to keep from putting on too much weight.”

 

“Ah, that reminds me...” Merle smiled. “I'm takin' care of that big-ass pony of yours, too. She's at the farm right now, runnin' around the fields and shit. Feedin' that cat from hell, too, for as long as your girl's stayin' here with you.”

 

“Cat from hell...” Bernadette was laughing. “He is such a sweetheart.”

 

“Maybe. I ain't the best with cats, I reckon. That hell-beast been wantin' ta slice me up ever since the little girl was born.”

 

“Sounds like he was protective of her. It's sweet.”

 

“As far as I'm concerned, there ain't nothin' sweet about that thing.” Merle scoffed. Suddenly, they heard a noise coming from the bed. Merle's head whipped around and he looked at his brother with wide eyes. “Daryl?”

 

“Oh my...” Bernadette was just as startled. “Is he waking up?”

 

“Hope so.”

 

But Daryl wasn't really waking up. It was just one of those short episodes, where he started to regain consciousness for a short amount of time. He made hoarse-sounding noises, which were muffled by the breathing tube, and he was trying to move his arms, but only succeeded in tugging at the restraints. Merle had already buzzed the nurse, who came running in quickly.

 

“Mr. Dixon? Can you hear me?” she waited a moment until she heard him make another noise. “Can you try to open your eyes for me?”

 

Merle and Bernie both were tense with anticipation, not really sure what was happening. So far Teddy had been the only one to be present for Daryl's short bouts of being slightly awake. Merle held his breath when he noticed Daryl's eyelids moving. It looked like they were as heavy as lead, Daryl was barely able to blink them open, but he was trying.

 

“Son of a bitch... hell yeah!” Merle grinned, when Daryl's half-lidded eyes stared up at the ceiling for a short moment.

 

The nurse held them open a moment longer and shone her little flashlight in them. “Mr. Dixon, can you please hold your arms still?” Something sounded like a grunt came from Daryl, who was already closing his eyes again, but he did stop tugging at the restraints. “Very good.” The nurse was smiling and then looked at all the machines and their readings, while Daryl's body relaxed again as he fell back into his “sleep”.

 

“What's going on?” Merle was disappointed that his brother was gone again already, but he took the satisfied smile of the nurse as a good sign.

 

“He just scored an 11 on the coma scale, which means he is no longer considered comatose. He responded to verbal commands, that's very good. I will talk to the doctor and we'll see how he wants to proceed, but it's looking good. You're doing very well, Mr. Dixon.” she praised Daryl, before she quickly checked if all the IV's were still intact, then she left the room again.

 

“I'm going to let Teddy know.” Bernadette smiled. “You take care, Daryl. I'll be back soon. You're doing so good, you keep fighting, sweetheart.” She stroked his cheek again, then she put her hand on Merle's arm. “You take care as well, Merle. I'll see you soon.”

 

“Yeah, guess you will.” Merle nodded, but kept his eyes on his brother. He was still too worked up over what had just happened to exchange pleasantries. “That's right, baby brother. Keep leapin' over to our side. Just like back then... Almost there...”

* * *

Teddy stayed at the hospital day and night, even when she had to sleep in the waiting area, because some nurses didn't allow her to stay in Daryl's room all the time. They were nearing the end of Day 3 and the doctors had removed the breathing tube in the morning and he was getting additional oxygen through a mask now. Since Daryl's condition had improved quickly with treatment, the doctors were optimistic about him recovering from his brain injury. Still, he had a long road ahead of him, and that was what Teddy was really worried about. Daryl wasn't the most patient person when it came to himself, but with this, he would have to have a lot of patience. He had come so far over the course of their marriage, it would be tough if he would start hating and being ashamed of himself again, because he might not be able to do certain things anymore. What exactly those things might be, that remained to be seen.

 

Teddy was thumbing through a magazine Maggie had brought over earlier, when she thought she had detected movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked up and got the shock of her life when she saw that Daryl's eyes were fully open and that they were looking straight at her. “Baby!” she exclaimed and tossed the magazine to the floor as she scrambled to quickly press the button to get a nurse to come in. “Hi.” she forced herself to stay calm and smiled at him while she put her hand on his arm. Daryl slowly looked around in confusion and it was clear, that he was still pretty dazed. “You had an accident. You're in the hospital, but you're gonna be okay.”

 

The nurse came in and saw what was happening and then the real commotion began. Teddy wished he would be able to take everything in in peace and quiet, but of course she knew, that the doctors had to check on him and his condition. They removed the oxygen mask and shone the light in his eyes again and seemed to be poking and prodding at him in all kinds of fashions. Teddy wanted to scream stop and get on that bed and hug Daryl to her, because he looked so confused and uncomfortable, but thankfully, the hectic atmosphere soon calmed down again.

 

“Do you remember your name?” the doctor asked Daryl, which made Teddy hold her breath. This was the moment of truth. Was he suffering from memory loss or not?

 

Daryl narrowed his eyes, like every time he was thinking about something. He opened his mouth and tried to say something, but nothing came out. Teddy felt faint. He either remembered, but lost his ability to talk or he was able to talk and he didn't remember or he didn't remember **and** wasn't able to talk. Her heart fell, when Daryl tried a second time without succeeding. 

 

“It's okay, ba-”

 

“Daryl... Dixon.” his voice was hoarse and squeaky at the same time, but in that moment, it was the most beautiful thing Teddy had ever heard. Tears spilled out of her eyes when relief flooded her system. She didn't want to overwhelm him, but when the doctor talked to the nurse, she couldn't help herself. 

 

“Do you know who I am?” she asked and felt her heart beating out of her chest in anticipation.

 

“Teddy... beautiful...” he croaked with some difficulty. His throat was so dry and sore from the breathing tube, which made it hard for him to talk. 

 

“Oh baby.” Teddy cried and pressed her lips against his quickly. “You're amazing. You're gonna be fine. You're doing so good. I love you so much.” 

 

Teddy was barely able to contain herself, she was so happy. He was alive, he was awake, he was able to speak and he remembered his and her name. In that moment she knew for sure, that things were going to be okay. No matter how long it would take for him to recover, they would be okay. 

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

 

**Are you relieved? You didn't think I would let him die, right? I would croak myself, lol. Daryl is immortal, can we just agree on that? But that doesn't mean he can't get banged up, lol.**

 

**I love this universe so much and I love spending time with these characters and live in their world for a bit. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm always happy to hear your opinions.**


	44. Chapter 44

“Kenzie? Sweetie, could you come here, please?” Teddy called out for her daughter, who was playing on the deck with Roxie.

 

“Cookiiiiiies.” Kenzie clapped her hands excitedly when she saw the plate full with various cookies on the coffee table. Teddy put down a pitcher of chocolate milk right next to it and filled two cups for them.

 

“That's right. You can have as many as you want, as long as you stay sitting here and listen, while the two of us have a little talk, okay?”

 

“Uh-oh...”

 

“No, it's nothing bad, honey. Don't worry.” Teddy sat down and let Kenzie grab a couple of cookies, before the little girl climbed into her mother's lap. “You know that Daddy is coming home tomorrow, right?”

 

“Yes!” Kenzie's whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. She hadn't seen Daryl in two weeks. He missed his little turtle very much, but he hadn't wanted her to see him hooked up to any machines and with his face swollen and bruised.

 

“I know this will be hard for you to understand, but things will be a bit different from now on. I will try to explain everything to you as best as I can, but if you have questions, don't be afraid to ask. The thing is, Daddy will look normal, but he is still a little sick. And because he is still sick, there are things Daddy can't do right now.”

 

“Does he still have an owie in the head?”

 

“Yes. Did you know, that all of us have something inside our heads, that is called a brain?”

 

“No. What's it do?”

 

“The brain is like a little person with a laptop. You know how you have that little play laptop and you press keys in order to tell it what to do?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That is what the brain does. The brain tells our bodies what to do. It's like the boss of our body. It tells you to breathe. It tells your heart to beat. It tells your legs to move, when you want to walk. It tells your mouth to talk and what to say, when you want to say something. Things like that. Do you understand?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Good. Now, during the accident, Daddy hit his head very hard, and his brain got shaken around a little. Do you remember what happened, when you banged your laptop against the wall and shook it around that one time?”

 

“It broke. And then it talked funny.”

 

“It got slower, that's right. It didn't work right anymore. Daddy's brain is still working, but because it got a little hurt, it doesn't feel very well and needs lots of sleep. That's why Daddy slept so much. His brain told him to, so it could start healing. Even though Daddy is coming home, his brain is not done healing yet. That will take some more time. And while it is still healing, Daddy will have to be very careful, and he will need a lot of naps, which means, that Daddy won't go to work for some time. He'll be home when you get home from school.”

 

Kenzie started to get excited again, but Teddy quickly put a damper on it. “But that doesn't mean that you can play all afternoon. Look, Daddy loves you very much and he would love to play with you all day, every day, but he can't do that for a while. Daddy can't lift you up and you can't use him as a jungle gym. You can't sit on Daddy's shoulders. He can't take you and Roxie into the woods and run around with you like he used to. He can't do that here in the house, either. We can't raise our voices around him or we will make his head hurt. We can't watch TV with him or read books with him, at least not at first. Daddy will tell us when he will be able to start doing that again. I know it's hard to understand why things will change a lot, but you have to remember, that Daddy can't help it. He has to be very careful with himself, and we have to be careful around him, so that his brain gets the chance to get all better, so that he will be able to do all those fun things with us again after some time.” Teddy tried to explain it as best as she could. It sounded terrible, even to her own ears, but even though she was still very young, it was important for Kenzie to know (and to a certain extent understand) what was going on with Daryl. Neither of them wanted Kenzie to think that Daryl wasn't playing with her anymore, because he didn't love her. Teddy knew from experience that kids tended to blame themselves for things like these, so it was important to inform the little ones and let them ask questions if they had them.

 

Teddy saw that Kenzie was sad. She was only nibbling on a cookie with sad eyes as she tried to comprehend what her mother was telling her. “I can't do nothing with Daddy?”

 

“There are things you can do, sweetie. I know there are a lot of things Daddy can't do, but there is something he needs while he heals, and that's lots and lots of Turtle love. You can cuddle with him and kiss him and talk to him, but don't jump on him like you used to.”

 

Kenzie perked up again. “Cuddle? Can I tell him stories?”

 

“Yes, it will be good for Daddy if you cuddle lots and lots with him and tell him stories, I promise. Oh, but Daddy might forget things, honey. Things you tell him from school when you come back, for example. He might not remember that a couple of hours later, because his brain is all sleepy, you know?”

 

“Okay. I make him remember.”

 

Teddy laughed and kissed her daughter's head. “You do that, Turtle. Mommy will do the same. The main thing is, that we have to be nice and gentle with Daddy, okay? Anything you want to know?”

 

“Can I go back and play with Roxie?” Kenzie asked, making Teddy smile and shake her head.

 

“Sure, go ahead.” Teddy let her slip off her lap and watched her go back outside. Kenzie had changed since the accident. She was a lot quieter and more well-behaved than before. After a couple of nights she had started sleeping better again, but Teddy wasn't sure if Kenzie had worked through everything yet. She would wait and see what effect Daryl's return would have on her and then decide if she would contact a professional for help.

* * *

Daryl sat in the passenger seat, finally dressed in jeans and a t-shirt again after having spent way too much time dressed in those ridiculous hospital gowns. His sensitive eyes were protected by a pair of dark sunglasses, and he held on to Teddy's right hand for the duration of the drive from the hospital in Jasper back home to Ellijay. Every time she had to grab the steering wheel with two hands, in order to make a turn, Daryl immediately took her hand back in his and intertwined their fingers, as soon as she was done. He was anxious, it didn't take an expert to feel it radiating off of him in waves. He was anxious to get home and get better. All the rest he'd had in the hospital had helped him feel fine physically, which was why he was a little in denial about recovery taking much longer than those two weeks in the hospital. He especially didn't understand, that his brain would have to recover, too, and that it indeed would get tired if he did too much, and would respond by causing him fatigue and headaches. Daryl still refused to believe it. He wasn't retarded, he was able to talk, he was able to walk and move in general and he had his memories. Where he was concerned, he was fine. If it would be up to him, he'd only take a couple of sick days and return to work after the weekend. Yeah, he still felt a bit shitty, but he had some kickass painkillers and he was used to keeping his mouth shut and powering through. To him, this was no different than those other times in the past.

 

He released an audible breath and seemed to instantly relax when Teddy pulled into their driveway and parked the car under the car port.

 

“Finally.” he mumbled under his breath when he took in the familiar view. He immediately felt a hundred times better than he had a minute ago. Finally home again, surrounded by all the things and people he loved.

 

“Happy?” Teddy smiled at him and watched him nod.

 

“Getting there.” Daryl said and moved to open the car door.

 

“Wait.” Teddy quickly got out and jogged around to his side of the car, just to be on the safe side in case he got winded or his knees would give out. Even though that hadn't even happened back at the hospital when he had walked around a bit, Teddy felt it was better to be safe than sorry. “Slowly... “

 

“I ain't no cripple, Teddy.”

 

“I almost lost you, Daryl. Can you blame me for being a bit too careful at first?”

 

He couldn't really argue with that. If it would have been her who'd had the accident, he'd carry her around all day long. “Guess not.” he replied while he let himself slide out of the SUV until his feet hit the ground.

 

“Okay?” Teddy's gaze switched from his feet up to his face, while her hand hovered in the air right next to his arm.

 

Daryl huffed out a laugh. “Yes, darlin'. I'm okay.” He grabbed her hand and started walking towards the house. “Let's get inside.”

 

“Let's go around and into the backyard. Roxie will be so happy that you're back, I'm sure she'll pee all over the floor, so I think it would be better if she would greet you in the garden.”

 

“Good idea. Alright, come on.”

 

They walked around to the back of the house and Daryl leaned against a tree while Teddy went inside to get Roxie. “Hi sweetheart.” Teddy greeted the Great Dane with a kiss to her big head. “I have a biiiiig surprise for you. Let's go outside and see what it is, yeah?” Teddy gave her another kiss before she led her out with a big smile on her face.

 

“Hey Rox! Hey girl!” Daryl called out, as soon as Teddy and Roxie set foot outside the house.

 

Roxie froze and whipped her head up when she heard her Daddy's voice. She looked around, and when she spotted Daryl, all hell broke loose. She stormed off towards him at lightning speed, only at the last second remembering her training and that she wasn't supposed to jump up on people. Instead she started jumping up and down in front of him, releasing the most heartbreaking whimpers Teddy and Daryl had ever heard, while she kept nudging him with her nose. The poor girl wasn't able to contain herself with happiness. Like Teddy had predicted, she was peeing herself while she moved from side to side frantically, then running of for a couple of paces, before running back, standing up on her hind legs, jumping, then nudging him again, during all of which she never stopped whimpering.

 

Teddy had tears spilling out of her eyes, because she was incredibly moved by how happy both, Roxie and Daryl, were at being reunited. If this was just a taste of what was to come when Kenzie came home from school, then Teddy would be the one with a headache from crying so much. Daryl wore the biggest smile on his face while he petted his dog and tried to calm her down. “Hey, girl. Hi... Yeah, I missed ya, too. Shhhh, it's alright, Rox. I got ya. I'm here. Ain't gon' leave again.”

 

“Let's go inside.” Teddy said when Roxy started to calm down. She had already pulled out the couch and had put more pillows and an extra blanket on it, so Daryl would be able to rest comfortably during the day. Once inside, she urged him to sit down and put his feet up, while she cleaned up Roxy a little, before she was allowed to jump on the couch and cuddle with Daryl. As soon as she got the go ahead, the big dog climbed up on the sofa-bed and curled up with her head in Daryl's lap.

 

“Hey, boy.” Daryl smiled when he spotted Snoopy by the fireplace. “C'mere.” he coaxed the black cat, but Snoopy wasn't as quick to forgive Daryl's long absence as Roxie. He seemed to huff quietly as he turned his head and went back to sleep. “Hm...” Daryl frowned, a little bummed about Snoopy's cold reception.

 

“Don't worry, he'll come around. Cats are known to carry grudges.” Teddy smiled as she brought over a bottle of water and a bowl with fresh berries for Daryl to snack on. “Roxy was happy enough for the both of them. Here, eat something.”

 

“Ain't been hungry much.”

 

“I know, but you need to eat a little. Keep your strength up.”

 

“I'm good.” Daryl shrugged her off.

 

“You need something in your belly when you're taking your meds.”

 

“Stop. I just got home, Teddy. Don't want no nurse right now. Want my wife, okay?”

 

Teddy sighed, but relented. “Okay.”

 

“Good. Now come and sit your ass down.” He lifted his arm as a sign for her that he wanted her cuddled up against him. Teddy slipped out of her flats and got on the couch. Daryl put his arm around her shoulders and used it to pull her close. He tilted her head up and kissed her lips, making Teddy melt against him the rest of the way. “Missed ya, darlin'. Been waiting for this for too damn long.”

 

“Me, too.” Teddy carefully put her arms around him and sighed again, but this time with relief and contentment as she rested her cheek against his shoulder. He was really back and he was doing pretty well. She had to try to get herself to relax again. It had been a rough couple of weeks and she had run herself ragged between caring for Kenzie, working, and spending time with Daryl at the hospital in between. When Daryl's warm hand slipped underneath her shirt and rested on the soft curve of her waist, she finally felt some sense of calm wash over her again. “Mmmm... I can't ever go weeks without this again.”

 

“Me neither.” Daryl agreed quietly, sounding a bit drowsy. He was insanely happy to be back home and have two of his girls in his arms. It truly felt like it was healing, but now that the first wave of excitement and adrenalin ebbed off, he suddenly felt bone tired. It was so sudden, if he wouldn't have known any better, he would have thought that Teddy might have drugged him in order to make him rest.

 

“Don't fight it.” Teddy murmured after she had looked up and had seen his eyelids starting to fall shut.

 

“Mh...” Daryl grunted, already drifting off to sleep.

 

Teddy smiled and watched him for a moment. She wasn't able to describe how immense her joy was at having him back home. Once again she was glad that her place of work was inside their house. She was able to see her clients and check on Daryl in between. When she gave classes and wouldn't be able to check on Daryl for an hour or two, Merle would come over and keep Daryl company. Not working was not an option. Daryl might not return to work for another couple of months, and even though they had accumulated some good savings, they didn't want to touch those until absolutely necessary. Thankfully they had very good health insurance, so the hospital bill would be manageable, and therefore, one less thing to worry about, but Teddy still wanted to work, because she liked it and because her clients counted on her.

 

Today, though, she didn't have any appointments scheduled, so she would be able to be there for Daryl all day long. It was why she allowed herself to doze off, too, while he took a nap. She carefully tugged the blanket up over them and snuggled up to her husband, pressing her nose against his chest and inhaling his comforting scent while she fell asleep.

* * *

Daryl woke up in a bad mood. He had wanted to enjoy his first day home to the fullest, but instead he was sleeping the day away. Also, his wrist was itching, but because of the damn cast, he wasn't able to scratch it. It pissed him off. He barely touched the sandwich Teddy made him before he had to take his pain pills, he only took the three bites Teddy forced him to eat. At least he was allowed to go outside on the sun deck. During their nap, the weather had changed and the sun was now hidden behind big gray clouds, allowing Daryl to go out without sunglasses.

 

“Probably gonna rain soon.” Teddy said with a gentle smile, as she joined him by the banister, where he longingly looked out towards the woods.

 

“Nah. Don't smell like rain.” Daryl very lightly shook his head, careful not to move his head around too much. He got dizzy quickly these days.

 

“Ah, right... your new superpower?” Teddy grinned. Ever since the accident, Daryl had developed an even greater sense of smell. His senses had always been very developed, but his sense of smell had turned downright superhuman.

 

“Always been able to smell rain. Ain't nothin' new.” he grumbled, and Teddy's smile faltered a little. Then she ducked underneath his arm and squeezed herself between his body and the banister, facing him.

 

“Hey...” she kissed him gently and let her hands slip underneath his t-shirt, stroking the skin of his back, his sides, his belly and his chest, making him relax a little as he shivered and his skin formed goosebumps. “I know this sucks, baby. I know you hate laying around and doing nothing, but the more you do this now... the more you rest, the sooner you will get back to old form. I can promise you that. Let your body show you what it needs. If it needs sleep, then you sleep, no matter how often or how long. You will feel a lot better if you listen to your body.”

 

“Gonna go out of my mind.”

 

“Sometimes, yeah, I guess so. But hey, most of the time I'll be around. Know what that means?”

 

Daryl tried to think of what it meant, but nothing came out. Another “fun” side effect of his accident? Sometimes his thoughts got really scrambled and he wasn't able to come up with an answer. It didn't happen often, thankfully, but when it did, he felt like the biggest idiot on the planet.

 

“Nah.” he shook his head and averted his eyes in shame.

 

Teddy quickly tilted his face back up and kissed him lovingly. “Don't worry, I'll tell you... There will be loooots of this.” She pressed another long kiss against his sinfully soft lips. “And lots of this.” She gently raked her fingernails down his chest. “And lots and lots of this.” She concluded with a full-body hug and kissed his neck. When she looked back up to his face, she was happy to find the corners of his mouth slightly tugged up.

 

“Yeah?” he asked, almost shyly it seemed.

 

“Oh yeah.” Teddy grinned. “And with Kenzie in school and me not having too many clients in the morning, we'll have lots of time to ourselves. I'll make sure you won't get too bored.”

 

“Can we fuck?” Gone was the shyness.

 

“Hmm,... I think we should hold off on intercourse for another two weeks, because of your lung. Give it some more time to heal. And we gotta wait and see how your head will be doing by then, buuuut, until then, we can do some stuff. Lots of touching...”

 

Daryl nodded with relief evident in his expression. It wasn't the answer he had hoped for, but at least they would be able to be close. “Hand stuff?”

 

“Yeah, I guess.”

 

“Can I get you off?”

 

“Sure, yeah.”

 

“Can you get me off?”

 

“That's tricky.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Erratic breathing, accelerated heart rate... no bueno right now.”

 

“Hm..., but I can do you, yeah?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Good. That's gon' keep me busy.” his cute smirk was back, making Teddy laugh.

 

“Horndog.”

 

“Only 'cause of you.”

 

“That's sweet, but hold your horses, tiger. Let's wait and see how you feel the next couple of days. You only have one hand anyway, and I'm not sure that I would be able to keep my hands away from your dick. Don't want you to get blue balls. We should try to keep it as tame as possible.”

 

“Tease.” he mock-grumbled and used his good hand to squeeze her ass. He released a sound that sounded a bit like a satisfied purr when he massaged the firm globe of her butt, making Teddy laugh even more.

 

“Unbelievable. Not even a head injury stops you from getting frisky.”

 

“You started it.”

 

“Right, yeah. Can't argue with that, I suppose.” she sighed happily and mimicked him by putting her hands on his butt. “But I can't help it. I love you so much, Daryl. More every day. One day my heart will burst, but it will be an amazing way to go.”

 

“Stop. Don't wanna hear nothin' 'bout you dying, ya hear? Never.”

 

“Alright. Now, if I would bring the rest of that sandwich out here... would you please eat it? Pretty please? For me? For your daughter?”

 

Daryl released a deep sigh. He really wasn't hungry. A nice long walk in the woods with tons of fresh air would surely fire up his appetite, but Teddy was adamant that walking around the house was enough for today. But he knew that he had to get healthy for his family. “Yeah, okay.”

 

Teddy pecked his lips sweetly, then she went inside and got the sandwich out of the fridge, along with a smoothie made with fresh fruit from their own garden. He needed vitamins, and if he refused to eat, then he would have to drink them.

 

It took about five times longer than usual, but eventually Daryl had emptied both, his plate and his glass, much to Teddy's satisfaction. “Nice.” she grinned proudly and gave him a kiss. “Now we can take a walk through the garden if you want, and then it's back to the couch.”

 

A deep sigh escaped him, before he grumbled his agreement. “Fine.”

 

“Come on, you gotta be rested for when your Little Turtle will hug the hell out of you in about two hours.”

 

That brought a smile to his face. “Right. Man, I can't wait. Been way too fucking long. I'm tellin' ya, she can't ever move out.”

 

“Oh honey, it's gonna be long, long years before that issue will ever come up.” Teddy laughed. “You're so cute.” she kissed him before he got up from the chair and they walked around their property a little, hand in hand.

 

Fifteen minutes later it was back to the couch for them. Daryl wouldn't admit it, but he was beat, and it frustrated him to no end. “Don't fucking get it, Teddy. Used to run around the woods for hours. Why can't I do that no more?”

 

“I'm not saying that you won't ever be able to do that again, but it takes a little time. Physically you're okay, but, as stupid as that sounds, your brain gets tired from thinking too much right now. Your brain coordinates everything about your body, Daryl. It has to send signals constantly and it's still recovering, so it gets tired quicker, you know?”

 

“Awesome.”

 

“You're lucky to be alive, Daryl. Focus on that.” Teddy said as she took her place next to him on the couch, pressing herself against his side.

 

“I gotta take my pills.”

 

“No, you already took them while you ate, remember?”

 

“Hm...”

 

“Just try to relax, baby.” Teddy cooed and slipped her hand under his t-shirt. She gently traced her fingertips along his belly and up his chest, drawing circles around his nipples, before she carefully dragged her nails down to his belly button. “How's this?”

 

Daryl squirmed and shuddered. “S'not bad...” he groaned quietly. It felt damn good. It wasn't sexual, though. Teddy was just showering him with love and affection, and he felt comforted and started to relax. With his good arm, he pulled Teddy even closer to him and after they had shared a sweet kiss, he buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her wonderful scent. Soon, her ministrations lulled him into yet another nap. This time, Teddy didn't nap with him. She stayed in his arms and softly kept caressing him. “I love you, Daryl.” she mumbled quietly against his chest and pressed a kiss to the spot right where his heart was hidden underneath, soaking up her alone time with him, before their daughter would come home from school.

* * *

“Daddy...” Kenzie had her face buried in Daryl's neck and was sobbing heartbreakingly. “You didn't wake up.”

 

“I know.” Daryl murmured and hugged his crying daughter to him, enveloping her with both arms, hoping to make her feel better. “I'm sorry I scared ya, Turtle. I'm alright, though, ya hear? Ya ain't gotta be scared no more.”

 

“You have ouchie still!”

 

“A little, but it ain't bad. Don't hurt no more. I promise.”

 

“Mommy says your head hurts if I'm too loud.” Kenzie sniffled, making Daryl glare at his wife. He was not happy with her telling Kenzie that she might hurt him if she raised her voice.

 

“Nah, that's alright, Turtle. Ain't gotta change nothin' 'cause of me.” Daryl tried to keep his unhappiness out of his voice. “What else she say?”

 

“That we can't read books and watch TV. And that we can't go out with Roxy. We have to be careful with you, Daddy, because of your brain being slow now.” Kenzie recited perfectly what Teddy had told her, making anger build up inside of Daryl.

 

“Hey, Turtle? Why don't ya go to your room? I'll be right with ya and we can play a bit 'til momma's got lunch ready, yeah?”

 

“Okaaay.” Kenzie reluctantly let go of her father and rubbed her eyes with her fists. Daryl smiled and gently removed some more tears with his thumb, before he helped her down from the couch, before he got up himself.

 

“Run right ahead, I'll be there in a minute.” he told her with a smile, but that smile vanished as soon as Kenzie had left the room. “What the fuck, Teddy?!” he spat at his wife. He was so angry, he wanted to shake her. “Where the fuck do ya get off tellin' her that bullshit?”

 

“Baby, calm down. We agreed on telling her what's going on back at the hospital.”

 

“Pffff, right. I sure as hell didn't agree on you telling her that she now's got a retard for a daddy.” Daryl shouted at her. He was livid. Teddy hadn't seen him this mad in years, and it wasn't easy to bear.

 

“I said no such thing, Daryl. I only told her that you needed a lot of rest and quiet and that you couldn't go around letting her climb around on you anymore. Even though you won't admit it, you know it's true. You can't do that right now.”

 

“God... just fuck off, Teddy. You and your fucking know-it-all attitude... I'm fucking sick of it. You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do. You ain't no boss of me. You ain't in my body. Imma play with my daughter now... don't fucking bother checkin' in on us. Just go ahead and ruin lunch, that's what you do best.” he snorted disparagingly as he turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him for good measure.

 

Teddy supported herself on the kitchen counter with her elbows, and buried her face in her hands. They had talked about this in the hospital, and Daryl had agreed to let Kenzie know what was wrong with him. Looked like he didn't remember. Or he changed his mind or whatever. She sighed deeply as her eyes filled with tears. She had anticipated him flying off the handle eventually, but she hadn't anticipated him to do it on the first day home already. She didn't blame him for his frustrations getting the better of him, but having him yell at her and say those things still hurt a lot. But that's who Daryl was. He was the sweetest guy on Earth, but when he got angry, his brain short-circuited, removed his filter and he said things he regretted later on. It hadn't happened in a long while, but Teddy knew that she would have to get used to it again. The road ahead of them was a long one, and in this moment, it seemed insurmountably long.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

 

**Is it crazy that angry Daryl makes me have to fan myself, even though he makes Teddy want to cry? Ugh, that man... Too bad that the show has gone down the drain. I'll miss watching him on screen, but thankfully there's still seasons 1-4 to watch over and over again. And the season 5 premiere. The crap-fest that was the rest of season 5 doesn't exist in my brain, lol.**

**Thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments. Much love to you.**


	45. Chapter 45

**WARNING: This chapter contains descriptions of period sex. If that is absolutely not your thing, you should only read until the first break line. I got a lot of requests for a scene like that and I've actually been thinking about writing it anyway for a long time, so I decided to dip my toe in the water. It was my first time writing something like that and I think it's still fairly tame and not too graphic. Like I said, I'm still dipping my toe in the water and approached it with caution. You have been warned. If you don't like it at all, please don't read it. Everybody else, enjoy.**

* * *

About half an hour after Daryl's outburst, when Teddy had just put their late lunch/early dinner in the oven, she heard his bare feet pad across the wooden floor. She didn't turn around to face him. Instead, she braced herself for some more angry remarks or maybe even the silent treatment, even though that had never really been his thing. Honestly, the past couple of weeks had put her through the wringer as well, and she was exhausted and her thoughts were often a little scrambled, so she really had no idea what to expect right now.

 

She was surprised and confused for a second, when she suddenly felt him press his body flush against her own from behind. His injured hand rested at her waist, but his good hand slowly traveled from the curve of her waist to the front, stroking over her belly, before it slid upwards and closed possessively over her breast. She gasped when he squeezed the soft globe of flesh, trapping the nipple between fore- and middle finger and pinching it at the same time. While he did that, she felt his hot breath against her ear as his teeth nipped at the outer shell. “You got any idea how fucking sexy you are?” his raspy voice in her ear made her insides clench, and her center moisten immediately. “Ya look good enough ta eat, darlin'.”

 

“I got sauce all over my shirt.” Teddy replied in a monotonous voice. Her tone caused Daryl to pause. She was literally able to feel his confusion.

 

“What's wrong?” Daryl asked as he turned her around to face him. He startled when he noticed how red her eyes were. “Ya cried. Why?”

 

“Because on some days, having you yell at me is harder to bear than on others.” Teddy explained before she took a deep breath, only to release it in a big, long sigh.

 

She was looking at a random spot on his t-shirt-clad chest, so she didn't notice how his forehead furrowed in confusion. “Yell at ya? When the fuck did I yell at you?”

 

Teddy's gaze met his after all, as her stomach sank for him. “You don't remember.”

 

“Wha'... I... why...” Daryl was at a loss. He wracked his brain, but for the life of him, he wasn't able to remember that he had supposedly yelled at her today. “Did I really?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“When?”

 

“When Kenzie came home and told you that I had told her to be careful with you, 'cause you're still hurt. Was, like, half an hour ago.”

 

Daryl felt anger rise up inside of him again, but this time he wasn't angry at Teddy. He was angry at himself, because he seriously had absolutely no recollection of that happening. He stared at the ground while his mind ran a mile a minute, before he eventually pressed the heels of his hands against his forehead and released a little growl from between clenched teeth. “Fucking hate this, Teddy. Shit, there's nothin'... just a goddamn black hole. How the fuck can't I remember that?”

 

“It's the injury. Like the doctors said, it will take a while until-”

 

Suddenly his head snapped up. “Was she in the room when I-?”

 

“No.” Teddy quickly cut him off. “You sent her to her room first. It's all good.”

 

“It ain't.” Daryl sighed. He started chewing on his bottom lip, while he peeked up at her carefully. Teddy was hit with a flood of memories. He used to do that all the time when they had first met. It had gotten less over the years as he had gained confidence in himself. That nervous tick made her feel happy and sad at the same time. She was happy when she remembered their time together, but she was sad that he was feeling unsure of himself again. She wished she would be able to just magically heal him from the brain injury.

 

She wasn't able to do that, however, so she did the next best thing. She tugged at his shirt and pulled him closer, enveloping him in a hug. “It's gonna get better.”

 

“I'm sorry I did that... Even if I can't remember. What did I say?”

 

“No sense in repeating it. Let's move on.” Teddy put on a brave smile, but Daryl wasn't fooled.

 

“I hurt ya.” he stated as his self-hate grew. “I insult ya?”

 

“I said let's move on. Don't dwell on it. Kenzie playing?”

 

“Yeah... I think I came in here, 'cause of her...” His brows were knit in concentration when he tried to remember what he had come in here for.

 

“She's probably thirsty.” Teddy got out a glass and mixed some fruit juice with water. Kenzie was refusing to drink plain water right now, so Teddy mixed it with a bit of orange or apple juice. “Here you go.”

 

“What if that ain't what I came here for?”

 

“You'll figure it out, babe.” Teddy laughed and sent him on his way with a kiss on his cheek.

* * *

Two weeks later, Daryl woke up before the alarm went off in the morning. He shifted around a little, trying to stretch out his limbs, all the while trying not to wake up Teddy, and inhaled deeply through his nose. When her scent hit him, Daryl's eyes snapped open immediately. He froze, except for one single part of his body (that would be his dick), which instantly started to swell and grow.

 

Pheromones.

 

Daryl hated and loved them. This love-hate-relationship with Teddy's pheromones had been going on, ever since he had gotten together with her, which was about 5 years by now. A couple of days prior to her getting her period and all throughout the 4-5 days when she was bleeding, her natural scent changed. Every time Daryl caught a whiff of that pheromone-laced smell, his inner cave man immediately started growling and frantically banging his bat on the ground with the overwhelming urge to go and ravage his mate. That smell was the biggest fucking aphrodisiac ever. It was like a drug, which immediately rendered him horny beyond belief. Over the years the term “Insta-Horny” had popped up inside his head every now and then, when he had spent some time thinking about the whole thing.

 

Now, with his new and improved sense of smell, it was more like “Insta-Horny XXL”. He was hard already and he had to reach down and palm himself through his boxers, softly squeezing to give himself a bit of relief. He had smelled it on her during the past couple of days already and had been able to keep himself in check (mostly because she had worked and Merle had been with him a lot), but today, it was so much stronger. The way they usually went to sleep and the way they woke up in the mornings, hadn't changed in the past years. They always went to sleep with Daryl on his back and his left hand on her ass, while Teddy was on her left side with her back facing him. But in the mornings, Teddy was on her back and Daryl was on his side, slung around her like a kraken, with his head on her chest. He lifted his head a little, letting the tip of his nose slide up along the thin fabric of her gray-colored cotton top, until he hit the bare skin of her cleavage.

 

“Uunnnnnnghh, fuuuuck.” he groaned quietly when he inhaled her enticing scent deeply. His cock pulsed hard, making Daryl shudder and squeeze his eyes shut as he tried to keep it together. He jerked like he had been shot, when the loud beeping noise of the alarm startled the living daylights out of him. He winced at the loud noise and was incredibly happy that Teddy's arm immediately shot out on auto-pilot, hitting the off-button blindly with practiced ease. “Mornin'” Daryl rasped against her warm skin.

 

“Mornin'.” Teddy gave back tiredly. She was completely unaware of her husband's predicament, because she didn't feel very well. A headache was starting to build in her temples already and her abdomen and lower back felt tense and a bit ache-y. She also had a hard time getting her eyes open, she was so exhausted. It was a usual occurrence during that time of the month, so she didn't pay much attention to it. She had a job to do, which was to get breakfast done and her daughter ready for school. One deep breath, then she threaded her fingers through Daryl's hair, and kissed the top of his head. “Let me up.” she murmured while she gently pushed him off of her, still very oblivious to Daryl's raging hard-on. Honestly, even if she would have noticed, she couldn't have cared less about it in that moment. She had other things on her mind.

 

Daryl groaned again and let his face drop against the mattress, when Teddy removed her body from under him. “Ya mind if I stay in here?” his muffled voice made Teddy look over her shoulder on her way to the bathroom.

 

“That's fine. I'll bring you a yoghurt real quick, so you can take your pills.” she promised and left the room. Instead of the bathroom, she went to the kitchen to fetch a yoghurt from the fridge and a spoon from a drawer, and brought the items back to the bedroom. “Here ya go.” she put them on the nightstand, next to his pill dispenser. One more kiss, this time to the back of his head, and she was off to the bathroom to wash up, before she fixed breakfast for her family.

 

About an hour later, she released a relieved breath, when she waved at her daughter, while the little girl sat in the backseat of Maggie's car. While Daryl recuperated, Maggie took Kenzie to school in the mornings. She had to take Johnny anyway, so it wasn't a problem to stop by the Dixon house to pick up her niece. Teddy closed the door and immediately shed her egg-stained sweatpants and dumped them in the hamper before she returned to the bedroom.

 

Daryl watched her intently when she came back into the bedroom in just her top and a tiny pair of panties, and unconsciously licked his lips. Teddy plopped down on her back, lifted her arms and rested her hands against her forehead. “Is it okay if we just hang out in bed all morning?” she asked while she tried to relax. She didn't have any clients in the morning and didn't have to work until her birthing class started in the early evening.

 

“Alright by me.” Daryl propped himself up on his good arm and let his eyes sweep her barely clothed form. “Don't feel so good, huh?”

 

“Could be better.” she sighed. “You know, just the usual monthly crapfest.”

 

“I know.” Daryl stated, and Teddy wasn't surprised that he knew. He always knew.

 

She moaned quietly when she felt the warm tip of Daryl's nose rub against her collarbone, just a second before she felt his soft lips and the mix of tickling and scratching of his scruff against her skin. “That's nice...” she whispered as he made goosebumps form all over her body.

 

“Yeah?” Daryl cooed, as he kept kissing her skin, which smelled so goddamn good. “Just relax, darlin'.” he rasped, as a thousand images, of all the things he wanted to do to her right now, flashed through his mind. He wished he would be able to do all of it at once. He always needed her, but in this moment, he wasn't sure if the urge to pleasure and fuck her thoroughly had ever been this damn strong. _'Course she has to be on her rag..._ Daryl grumbled internally, but he'd barely finished thinking the words, when an idea he had long ago pushed to the furthest corners of his mind, popped back out to the forefront. He had thought about that particular thing a couple of times during their first year together. To be exact, pretty much every time they had both been incredibly horny, but Teddy had been on her period. Daryl wasn't squeamish by a long shot. He'd spent almost his whole lifetime being elbow-deep inside freshly killed game... He didn't care about getting a bit of blood on him. Not like it was poisonous or something. He didn't mind getting a bit messy. He was a guy, he loved a bit of mess. That's why he loved staining her beautiful smooth skin with his cum. That's why he loved when she squirted. No, he didn't mind getting, quite literally, dirty with her. That's what joint after-sex-showers were for. He didn't know how sick or how much of a pervert it made him exactly, but the thought of getting Teddy's life essence on him through intercourse during that time, actually excited him a bit. But Teddy had always very quickly shut him down on that subject and he had respected and accepted her decision. He hadn't tried to coax her into it anymore after a couple of times, but sometimes he had still thought about it here and there. 

 

Daryl kept a grin from forming on his face, while he had his mouth on her. They hadn't tried anything new in a while. Also, a couple of years had passed and unconditional trust had been established by now, as well as the fact, that they were both kinky bastards.  _Maybe it's time to try again,_ Daryl decided while he pressed open mouthed kisses along her neck. 

 

“Daryl, that's really good, but maybe you shouldn't do that.” Teddy gently cradled his face in her hands, trying to stop him from moving.

 

“Why?” Daryl asked, even though he was sure he knew the answer.

 

“You're gonna hurt yourself if you move around too much. And you're gonna give yourself blue balls if you keep going. Also... you know what time it is....”

 

“Don't worry 'bout me. I feel good. Been a whole month since the accident. Ya know I've been feeling better... Now, come on, switch sides with me.” A plan started to form in his head, and in order to execute it, he would need his uninjured hand, of course.

 

“Daryl?!” Teddy's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 

“Just do it.” Daryl rolled his eyes at her good-naturedly. He climbed over her, while she slid over to his side of the bed. After some squirming and shifting, Teddy was on her back with Daryl's arm under her neck, cradling her against his body, while he rested on his side, pressed flush against her.

 

“Are you sure this is okay?” Teddy was worried he would somehow hurt himself.

 

“Shhh.” he shushed her and rested his forehead against her temple. “Close your eyes and relax.” he told her, and did the same. He put his hand on her belly and gently started caressing her. He stayed away from her lower abdomen for now, instead he stroked his hand over her belly in slow circles, before he slowly moved it up to her chest. He slid it along the middle of her chest, between her breasts, then he ventured over to her right shoulder and rubbed his hand down her arm. He traced his hand up her side, then back down until he was back where he had started. He did that three more times, until he felt the tension drain from her body. It was tough for him to go slow and take his time, because her pheromones pretty much had him drooling and wanting to fuck her through the mattress right this instant. He was really hard, and it was bordering on painful, but he didn't want to screw this up and blow his chance at maybe succeeding in coaxing her into trying this with him.

 

Now that he had her all relaxed, he rubbed his hand right across both of her breasts. Teddy exhaled a shuddering breath, followed by a small, strangled moan, when he cupped her right breast and circled her, still shirt-covered, nipple with his thumb.

 

“Daryl...” she said again, once again sounding like she was about to stop him, but this time, she was clearly a bit more indecisive than before.

 

“Teddy.” he shot back and used his dominant tone with her.

 

“Sorry that I'm concerned for you.” she sassed, which only served to turn him on more. Oh, the things he would love to do to her right now. A nice, long play session would be amazing, but he knew that he wasn't up for that yet. As much as he was in denial over his condition, he had learned that he and his body had limits for the time being. If he pushed himself too far, his body pushed back in not so pleasant ways. What he was about to do (or what he was about to try to do) with her, was already pushing it.

 

“Told you I was fine, woman. Do ya ever listen? Oughta spank ya right the fuck now.” his raspy voice was right in her ear, while his thumb kept toying with the stiffened peak of her breast. It had Teddy squirming and pressing her legs together, when she felt all the nerve endings in her clit come to life. “As soon as I get this stupid cast off... that ass is gon' be mine.”

 

Teddy nodded silently. She seriously couldn't wait. Once they would be able to resume the full spectrum of their usual sexual activities, it would have been months since the last time they had done that. Way too long, if you asked the both of them. But they both also had to admit, that the whole healing process was a bit of a blessing in disguise, because it made them appreciate the little moments, they shared, a bit more again. Every little kiss, every little touch, every shared look and smile, cuddling and making out on the couch, it was all more intense and being enjoyed thoroughly again. However, Teddy couldn't wait for him to give her a little spanking again, soon. She always felt so incredibly free, relaxed and unburdened, whenever he did that for her. The anticipation was making her quiver already. Well, that **and** the fact, that Daryl was still slowly rubbing circles all around her nipple through her top. Due to her period, her breasts were so sensitive, that it felt absolutely heavenly. 

 

That's why she bemoaned the loss of the sensation with a little frustrated noise a moment later, when Daryl's hand slid down her belly. “Got cramps?” he asked when he settled his warm palm against her lower abdomen, his pinky finger touching and lining up perfectly with the elastic of her panties.

 

“Not really cramps.” the words rushed out of her right along with her breath. The heat of his skin felt so good... he was seriously so much better than a heating pad. “It feels kind of crampy and tense and uncomfortable, but it's not real cramps anymore.”

 

“Right. Think ya mentioned that before. That ya ain't havin' cramps no more since ya had our girl?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And that ya ain't bleedin' heavily no more, neither?”

 

“Mhm.” she nodded while she inhaled deeply through her nose. “Mmmmm, that's seriously so good, baby.”

 

“Yeah?” A small grin appeared on his face. “Ain't even doin' nothin'.”

 

“You don't have to... The heat feels amazing.”

 

_ Bet there's another kinda heat that would help, too.  _ Daryl thought with a smirk. He would get to that soon, but for now, he simply rested his hand there, to help her ease the discomfort inside her abdomen. He kept still until he got the impression that she was about to doze off a little. Only then, did he slowly edge his fingertips underneath the elastic of her panties. Teddy released a quiet, contented moan, but when his fingers trailed through her pubic hair, she suddenly remembered and immediately tensed right back up.

 

“Da-” she didn't get to finish the slightly panicked shout of his name.

 

“Shhhh... relax, darlin'. I got ya.”

 

“But...”

 

“I know. You're bleedin'. Don't matter to me. Don't care.” he murmured against her skin, where he pressed little kisses along her jawline. Teddy's mouth opened and closed repeatedly as she scrambled for words, but she didn't find any. Her brain was busy with trying to process what was happening. “Wanna know how much I don't care?” Daryl asked next, and without waiting for her to reply, he disentangled himself from her, and slowly scooted down and wrangled himself between her legs, until his face was level with her crotch.

 

“What are you doing?” Teddy gasped and watched him lower his head. A second later, the tip of his nose touched the fabric of her panties, close to her opening, and Teddy's head fell back against the pillow while she covered her beet-red face with both hands. “Oh God!”

 

“Mmmmm....” Daryl grunted happily while he traced his nose up her covered slit. Her smell was absolutely divine to him. He couldn't help but press his erection against the mattress and give himself some friction. With quick, nimble movements, he pulled down the front of her panties far enough for him to be able to quickly kiss her clit. Teddy jerked like she had been shot, her eyes as wide as saucers, before her eyelids fluttered, when he also gave her a little lick.

 

“Oh holy crap... No, Daryl, don't... that's not right... we shouldn't... you shouldn't.... Oh God.”

 

“Mmmm.” Daryl simply grunted again. He was moving back up her body, licking his lips and shuddering with lust when he tasted the faintest bit of copper on his tongue. His lips slammed down on hers in a wild kiss, before he assumed his previous position and cradled her back in his embrace. “Talk to me. What are ya scared of?”

 

Teddy chewed on her bottom lip and shrugged. “I don't know.”

 

“Scared of the mess? Scared I'd be grossed out? You know damn well, I ain't.”

 

“I don't know, Daryl. It's such a taboo, kind of...”

 

“Dunno why. Most natural fucking thing in the world. We talked about that shit before, remember? Society can't tell us what we should like or not like. That's between us, darlin'. We decide. Nobody else. And I really wanna make ya cum right now. Gonna trust me and let me?” Daryl's fingers slid back into her panties and straight to her clit. He started massaging her in a slow circular motion, watching her eyes flutter shut as pleasure started to take over. “Ain't had this in a while, hm? Feel good?”

 

Teddy nodded silently. Her own hand grasped her breast and squeezed, while her husband teased her clit. It felt absolutely amazing. She wasn't strong enough to make him stop. She was still a little nervous about the whole thing, because it was something people frowned upon, but Daryl was right. It was between the two of them. If it felt good for the both of them, screw everybody else. She should consider herself lucky that she had such an awesome husband, who didn't make a face and avoided her like the plague during that time. That's what she tried to focus on, as she started to drown out the voices of doubt inside her head, that told her that doing and enjoying this, wasn't right.

 

It wasn't easy to let go of the doubt, but when two of Daryl's thick digits pushed inside of her, and he emitted a groan laced with so much arousal, that it made her shiver, Teddy suddenly felt so completely loved and accepted, that she was able to flip the switch and let go and enjoy what was happening. Her legs fell open and she started moving her hips to meet his thrusting fingers.

 

“Yeah, that's it, girl.” Daryl smirked and immensely enjoyed the view and feel of her squirming body. “That's a good girl. Fuck, I wanna be inside of ya.” he sighed. The words had barely left his mouth, when he decided to go for it. He withdrew his fingers from her heat and then from her panties, and quickly wiped them on the front of her panties. He was surprised, because from the way she had used to act, he would have expected his fingers to be coated in blood, but there was barely anything.

 

“Get naked.” he told her while he rolled on his back and pushed his boxers down. He grasped his rock hard length and slowly moved his fist up and down a couple of times, while he watched her take her top off. “Panties, too. Come on, darlin'. Nothin' to be ashamed of.”

 

Teddy shed her panties, too, but a deep shade of crimson crept into her cheeks. “We shouldn't fuck.” she mentioned, but she knew saying no was not something she wanted to do right now. She needed him just as much as he seemed to be needing her.

 

“We're gon' be careful. Get on top of me, come on. Come here, babe.” he guided her to straddle him, and without further ado, he lined himself up with her opening and had her sink down on him. “Oh fuck.... oh fuck... oh fucking hell...” he had a hard time keeping his breathing under control. He was sure his brain was melting. “You're burning up in there, baby doll... Holy shit... So good.”

 

“It's too much for you, Daryl. You shouldn't get too out of breath.” Teddy warned, despite the intense arousal she felt.

 

“Working on it.” he mumbled as he tried to calm down. “Just stay like that, Teddy. Just squeeze 'em muscles for me and do that grinding shit. Mmmm, yeah, like that. Shit, it's been way to long.”

 

Teddy did as she was told. She let him bottom out inside of her and started rhythmically clenching her muscles around him. Daryl rubbed her clit with his thumb, having her gyrate and grind on top of him. It was slow and intense, and when Teddy came apart with sexy moans and whimpers, the contractions of her pussy were so hard and rhythmic, that it made Daryl's eyes roll back. “Fuck, Teddy. Good fucking Lord, baby... you're cummin' so hard... I can feel it.” he breathed quietly, before he let his head drop back and let her constricting walls take him over the edge as well. “Oh... oh shit... hell yeah... mmmmmmmm.” he groaned out his pleasure as he spilled himself inside of her, just as she started to calm down. “So fucking good...”

 

“Are you alright?” he heard Teddy's concerned voice, like it was far away. Now that the pleasure and need was no longer clouding her judgment, Teddy was worried that giving in to their urges might have been a colossal mistake. It might have been a month since the accident, but he was still recovering.

 

“Never better.” Daryl smiled with closed eyes. “Just fucking tired now.” he slurred sleepily.

 

Teddy breathed a sigh of relief and leaned down to kiss his chest, right where his heart was beating. It wasn't beating too fast, which also calmed her down a bit. She grabbed her discarded panties and held them next to where they were joined, while she let him slip out of her. She took a quick glance at his dick and was glad that the sight wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. However, she still reached over to open the drawer of her nightstand, and got out the pack of wet wipes, she always kept on hand. While she pulled one of the wipes out of the package, she felt Daryl's gentle fingers tickling her ribs.

 

“Hey...” he coaxed her to look up at him. He was smiling slightly, thinking that her reddened cheeks were utterly adorable. “See? Felt good, didn't it?”

 

“Yeah.” Teddy admitted with a little giggle.

 

“Nobody died. My dick didn't fall of from having your blood on it, now did it?”

 

“Daryl!” Teddy laughed bashfully and gently slapped his hand away. He snickered and happily watched her clean him up with the wipes. 

 

When she was done, he slowly sat up and grasped her chin between thumb and forefinger. “Hey, for real, Teddy... It was real good. You feel amazing. The blood don't bother me and it was good for ya, too, right?”

 

“It was.” Teddy admitted again. “Not just physically... You really accept and love all of me... feeling that was more than just 'really good'.”

 

“Yeah.” Daryl nodded and kissed her slowly and lovingly. Then, he pulled away with a little laugh. “Man, I'm exhausted now, though. It bad if ya gotta shower alone? I don't think I can get up.”

 

“Stay put. Rest. Nothing to do today anyway.” she smiled and fluffed his pillow for him, before he sank back down on it. She got up and pulled the covers up to his shoulders, so he would stay warm. By the time she kissed his forehead, his eyes were already closed and his breathing had evened out. She stood back and watched him for a moment, tears brimming in her eyes while she did it. She loved him so much, that it sometimes brought her to her knees. To him, it might not have been such a big deal, but by having sex with her just now and even initiating and coaxing her into it, in his own way, he had shown her just how much he loved her back. He loved her and wanted all of her, and she felt a bit stupid, that she had fought him on this for all these years. “I should listen to you more often.” she laughed quietly. “You do always know best.”

 

She shook her head with a little laugh and blinked her tears away, before she gave him another little kiss to the forehead, and then strolled into the bathroom to take a shower, letting him nap in peace and quiet.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

 

**Tell me what you think! Pretty please? Too much or still okay?**

 


	46. Chapter 46

“Goddammit, Teddy, get off my fucking case!” Daryl yelled at his wife in frustration when he got annoyed by her 'nagging'. “I said I was gonna take the damn pills, hell, I always fucking take them, so I don't need ya tellin' me every three fucking minutes, that I need to remember to take them. Stop being my damn nurse and start being my wife again. I'm fucking sick of this, ya hear me? Stop this shit or Imma go and crash at my brother's place.”

 

Daryl stared her down with his best scowl and it took Teddy all the self-control she possessed, in order to not explode as well. It was week 6 of Daryl's recovery, and by now, a lot of her patience had been used up. The only thing that had kept her from losing it during this difficult time was the fact, that she loved him more than life itself, that she was lucky that he was still alive, that this was only temporary and that he couldn't really help himself right now. It was the still lingering symptoms from his brain injury, that made him this irritable and quick to explode. It also made him forget all about his outbursts about five minutes later, but in turn, it made him feel like shit when he noticed Teddy being quiet and withdrawn. He might not remember most of his outbursts, but he recognized the signs on Teddy, when he'd had one.

 

But it wasn't all bad. Another thing that made the stress a bit easier to bear was, that he was often even sweeter, more loving and cuddlier, than he used to be before. He needed a lot of physical contact and affection. It helped him heal and Teddy and Kenzie, both, were happy to give it to him.

 

_I love him and he loves me. He doesn't mean it. He's tired and he's got a headache. That's all. 10...9...8...7..._ Teddy mentally took a deep breath and finished counting down from 10, before she opened her mouth to speak. “You forgot to take your pills, baby. That's why they are still here and that's why I'm reminding you again. Please take them right now and then go and rest a little. You've had a bad night and could use a nap.” Teddy told him calmly, while she lifted his hand and let the pills drop from the pill dispenser into his palm. 

 

“Would have taken them in a minute.” he grumbled, then he tossed the pills into his open mouth, swallowing them dry, before he reached for his water bottle to help wash them down all the way. Just when he put the bottle back down, he heard the front door open and close. “Ah great, the next babysitter checkin' in for duty.” he snarled at his brother, who entered the room a couple of seconds later.

 

“Good to see you, too, baby brother. A ray of sunshine, as always, I see.”

 

“Fuck off. I'm gonna lay down. Don't fucking bother me.” Daryl rasped over his shoulder on his way to the bedroom. 

 

“Whoa.” Merle breathed out, a little surprised at Daryl's foul mood. Daryl's condition had gradually gotten better as time had progressed. His little brother had been in a better place, which was why he was taken a little off guard by Daryl's demeanor. He hadn't been this grumpy since the very beginning.

 

“Yeah.” Teddy's shoulders slumped as soon as Daryl was out of the room. “It's super bad today. He got his cast off yesterday. He can use both of his hands again and it has him itching to go back to work. The doctor said no, though. He's cleared to resume some physical activities, but work is not one of them. It's bothering him a lot. He wasn't able to sleep because of it. Which is why he's being especially delightful today. The fatigue, which causes headaches, plus all the brooding, which makes the headaches even worse, which in turn makes him unable to focus and forget things constantly today, all make for a really bad day.”

 

“Hm.” Merle grunted, while he closely eyed his sister-in-law, who was supporting herself on her forearms on the kitchen counter, with her head hanging low between her small shoulders. “How you holdin' up, princess?”

 

“I have no right to complain.” Teddy sighed, and she truly meant it, but that didn't mean that it was easy not to complain about the current situation. 

 

“Pffff,... come on. This whole thing stinks for everybody. Luck or no luck, don't matter. Yeah, he's lucky to be alive and everything, but this shit is still hard. I get it.”

 

“I have a confession to make.” Teddy looked up at Merle with a guilty expression on her tired face.

 

“What?” Merle narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

 

“I lied to you. My client actually won't come in until 2 pm... I just need an hour or two to myself... I'm sorry.” Teddy's eyes were glistening with unshed tears, making it impossible for Merle to be mad at her. He was able to see how tired she was. He wasn't mad at all, actually. Teddy was taking care of Daryl and Kenzie, and she was taking care of her clients in between. Meanwhile, nobody was taking care of her and her needs, like she was used to. Daryl wasn't fully able to do so, even though he tried. She appreciated that very much, but at the same time it worried her, because she feared that he might be doing too much and that he was too focused on her, so his efforts were kind of in vain, because she wasn't able to relax and let go of her worries. A heavy burden was resting on her shoulders these days, and she gladly bore it for her family, but Merle totally understood that she needed a little bit of time to herself after weeks of only being there for others. 

 

Merle smirked and put his hand on the back of her neck. He shook her a little, his awkward attempt of offering comfort, and jerked his head towards the front door. “Go. I got it.”

 

Teddy smiled gratefully and gave him a bear hug, which he returned by awkwardly patting her back. “Thank you, Merle.” she sighed, then she ended the hug and went to put on her running shoes. “I have my phone with me. I'm taking Roxie, too. I should be back in an hour, but I might stay downstairs until my client arrives.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Don't cha worry. Go do your thing.”

 

They shared a little nod, when she put her hand on his arm on her way out. She went out to the sun deck and descended the stairs that led straight into the woods with their dog by her side. “Come on, girl, let's see who's faster, huh?” she smiled at Roxie, then she broke into a run, and together, they dashed into the forest, towards the lake, and disappeared from Merle's view between all the trees. 

* * *

Teddy ran and ran and ran with a happy Roxie right next to her. She laughed and giggled, while she played catch with their dog, and enjoyed the way her lungs and the muscles in her legs burned. They ran all the way to the small lake that belonged to their property. Once there, Teddy stretched a little, before she plopped down on the ground, right at the water's edge, while she tried to catch her breath. Roxie pressed her cold, wet nose right against Teddy's cheek, giving her momma some kisses, before she laid down, with her big head in Teddy's lap. “Good girl. That was fun, huh? We should do that more often. Sweet baby, you're sad, too, aren't you? Sad that your beloved daddy can't take you out much right now. It's gonna get better, I promise. Today he's tired, but tomorrow, we will all take walks together again, and from now on, they are gonna be a little longer every day, until daddy is back to old form. Might take another couple of weeks, but he's getting there. Sometimes he's just standing in his own way. But soon we'll be closer to normal again, I swear.” 

 

At least, that's what she hoped. The rational part of her knew, that Daryl was recovering very well and that they truly would soon be back (or very close to) normal, but whenever he had a bad day, like today, the irrational part of her got a little discouraged. The pep talk she was giving Roxie, was more for herself, than for their dog. However, she didn't really realize it in that moment. She tried not to think too hard about anything. Instead, she closed her eyes and let the sun shine in her face for a little while, as she enjoyed the quiet sounds of nature around her. When she started to get thirsty, the pair got up and walked back to the house. 

 

She sent Roxie upstairs, sending a sign to Merle that they were back, but Teddy remained downstairs in her small “practice”, grabbed a water from the small fridge that held beverages for her clients, and then went into the room where she held her pre-natal yoga classes.

Teddy unrolled a mat and sat down in an Adept's Pose. She closed her eyes, focused on her breathing in order to ground and connect herself to her center, while she sat in the cross-legged position for a couple of minutes. She started her sequence and moved from pose to pose, succeeding in not thinking about anything in particular, while she focused on herself and her own body. She didn't know exactly how long it had been, but when she was in the Three-legged Downward Facing Dog Pose, she felt like someone else was in the room with her. She wasn't wrong, because seconds later, when she was lowering her right leg again, Daryl's voice floated into her ear.

 

“Never thought this yoga shit was sexy, until I saw you do it.” 

 

Teddy saw him smirk a little, where he was leaning against the doorjamb. “Hey....” she greeted him. “Were you able to get some sleep?”

 

“Yeah, little over an hour.”

 

“You should go back up and rest some more until Kenzie comes home. I have clients coming in in a couple of minutes.” Teddy told him, her voice and her expression mostly void of any emotion. She didn't know why, but today's tantrums had taken a lot out of her, more than usual, and she felt like she needed just a little bit longer, before she was ready to face even more. 

 

“I know.” Daryl slowly strolled over to her. “Just wanted to say I'm sorry. 'Bout earlier.”

 

Teddy nodded, glad that he remembered, because it meant he was healing. “You don't have to apologize, Daryl. You can't help it.”

 

“Ain't an excuse. I dunno what happens. It's like out of nowhere, I get fucking pissed.”

 

“I know. It is what it is. We're gonna get through it.”

 

“I hate that I take it out on you. You don't deserve that.”

 

“Neither one of us deserves what's happening, Daryl. We talked about it a million times... Like I said, it is what it is. We're dealing with it, it's getting better and soon it will be nothing but a painful memory. It's okay. Just go up and rest some more.”

 

It was not okay. Daryl knew that, but he also knew that he wasn't able to force her into talking about it again. She was right, they had talked about it over and over again, every time his outbursts had happened, but it wasn't changing anything. No sense in repeating that talk a million times more, but he felt so guilty about the whole thing, which made him want to make sure that she knew, that he was really, truly sorry, that she had to take the brunt of his anger and frustrations. He sighed deeply and chewed on his bottom lip while he watched her drink some water. He wanted to kiss and make up, but it didn't look like she was up for it in that particular moment. “Alright.” he muttered eventually. “See ya later.”

 

“Give Kenzie a kiss for me.”

 

That made him freeze in his tracks. “You ain't comin' up at all until late?”

 

“No. I have to do some paperwork. Go over the books, pay some bills, send out some bills... Gonna do that today, so I have more time again for both of you tomorrow.”

 

“Teddy...” Daryl knew she was avoiding him, but before he could go on, Teddy held up her hand.

 

“Please, Daryl. Let me do my thing and give me some space today, alright?”

 

“Are we okay?” he asked hesitantly. He peeked up at her with his gorgeous blue eyes, while he dreaded her answer. 

 

“Of course we are, baby. I just need a time-out today.”

 

“Time-out from what? From me?”

 

“Yes and no.” Teddy replied honestly. “I love you. You don't have to worry about anything, but today I need some time to myself. That's all. Tonight we can hang out in bed or on the couch and talk some more, but right now, I need my space and my work to feel sane and not so claustrophobic in my own skin.”

 

“That don't sound like we're okay at all. You getting' sick of me?”

 

“Daryl...” Teddy was growing exasperated. “I don't have time for this now. And I don't want to do this now. Please believe me when I say that everything is alright. I just need to bury myself in work today. Nothing is wrong. Nothing is happening, I promise. Just please, give me some space until tonight.”

 

“Okay.” Daryl acquiesced. He felt insecure and nervous about the whole thing. Now that he had slept and was feeling better, he craved being with her. He wanted her on the couch, in his arms, and wanted to kiss and hold her for a good long while. That she was sending him back upstairs without as much as a small peck on the lips, it made him feel very anxious. He was so used to her being there for him all the time, and meeting all of his needs, that it made him nervous when she was being distant. Ever since the accident, he sometimes felt like a retard, and he lived with the fear that she would get tired of it and go find someone who matched her own intellect, and who wasn't so much work. At the same time their relationship felt stronger than ever before. It was all so confusing to him. He knew she loved him, but right now, her wanting her space only fed his anxiety. He lingered in the doorway for a moment longer, but when he heard people arrive, he quickly made his exit without another word.

* * *

Daryl felt a bit calmer when Kenzie was back from school. She was giving him the physical contact and affection, which Teddy had denied him today. She sat on his lap and was leaning back against his chest, while she animatedly told him and her Uncle Merle about everything she had done at school today. Daryl kissed her head or her cheek every couple of minutes and stroked his fingertips up and down her bare arms, getting his fill, before she would get tired of sitting still and would start running all around the house.

 

When Daryl told her that she wouldn't see Teddy anymore today, Kenzie's little shoulders slumped a little bit. She hated when Teddy worked at night. The little girl wasn't stupid. She noticed the sometimes tense atmosphere between her parents. She wasn't deaf, either. Daryl might have sent her to her room a couple of times, but the distance between her room and the great room (or her parents' bedroom) wasn't that big. She had heard Daryl raise his voice a couple of times. It confused her a lot and the confusion she felt, made her worry a bit. There was a boy in her class, whose parents recently split up. The boy cried a lot and was very sad, because he wasn't seeing his daddy much anymore, because he now lived with only his mommy. Now, Kenzie thought, her daddy was yelling at her mommy sometimes, which had to mean that her mommy had to have done something bad, meaning, that she might not see her mommy much anymore, if she would move out. Kenzie was so attached to Daryl, that she thought she would definitely continue living with him, while Teddy would be the one to go. It was cute for Daryl and heartbreaking for Teddy, but the good thing was, that they didn't know that Kenzie was thinking that way. 

 

Merle soon went to take a piss, and Kenzie used her opportunity, now that she had her daddy alone for a couple of minutes. “Daddy?”

 

“Yeah, Turtle?”

 

“Why don't you love Mommy no more? Was she bad?” she casually asked in that sweet voice of hers.

 

Daryl felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him. He was shell-shocked and speechless. His mind was racing, but his thoughts only ended up getting scrambled. He felt like he might be having a nightmare. The question horrified him, especially coming from his daughter. How could Kenzie think that he didn't love Teddy anymore? The thought of not loving Teddy was so absurd to him, it didn't even compute. It was impossible for him to not love Teddy. There was no reality, no dimension and no world in which he wouldn't love Teddy. He would always love her, forever and ever and he thought it was outrageous for Kenzie to think he didn't love her momma anymore. 

 

However, all he was able to articulate was a stunned “What?”

 

“You called Mommy a bad word and you shouted at her.”

 

Daryl swallowed hard. He didn't remember calling Teddy any names. He was crestfallen about that. His heart hurt and he started hating himself even more again. It also fueled his anxiety about her maybe leaving him in the future. “When?”

 

“Last night. And before. I was in my room, but I heard. Did Mommy do something bad? Will Mommy move out?”

 

“Move out? What?” Daryl was pretty much gasping in shock at that point. _What the fuck is happening? Is this real?_

 

“Tommy said that his mommy shouted at his daddy a lot and now his daddy lives somewhere else and doesn't visit him much no more. You're shouting at Mommy. Will she go live somewhere else?”

 

_Good Lord._ Daryl couldn't breathe. This truly was a nightmare, only that it was real. He had worked so hard not to become like his father, but there he was, yelling at his wife, while their daughter was able to hear and started worrying about their family breaking up. “Turtle...” he swallowed hard again, trying to find the right words. “Momma is not moving out. She didn't do anything. Everything's alright.” It was tough to try to convince his daughter, when he wasn't even sure about everything being okay himself.

 

“But why you shout at her then?”

 

“I...” Daryl exhaled a long, frustrated breath. He wasn't able to find the right words. 

 

Thankfully, he didn't have to. Merle had caught some of the conversation. “Listen to your Uncle Merle, Chickpea.” he said while he sat back down. “Yer momma and daddy are doin' fine. You ain't got nothin' to worry about, Sweet Thing. Remember how your mother told ya about Daddy's brain bein' broken?”

 

“Not broken. Hurt.” Kenzie corrected him, and for once, Merle let it slide and didn't react with a smart-ass remark. 

 

“Yeah, hurt. She told you about that, right? That it still needs ta heal? And how the brain tells ya what to do?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Your daddy's brain is still a bit outta whack, so it tells Daddy to go and do things, he don't wanna do. Like yell at your mother. He can't help it, you know? He don't mean it, and your mother knows that. It's all good.”

 

“Will it tell you to shout at me, too?” Kenzie looked up at her Daddy, their identical blue eyes meeting. One pair panicked, one pair fearful.

 

“No!” Merle and Daryl said in unison. “Never, Turtle.” Daryl vowed fiercely.

 

“But you said you can't help it.”

 

She was right. From the information her family had supplied her with, her fear was a logical one. The world for her was still black and white. She didn't understand the little nuances yet. She thought Daryl loved Teddy, but he had yelled at her and called her names, so what would keep him from yelling at her, too?

 

Daryl didn't know how to explain it, so he didn't try. “I can't tell you how exactly it works, Turtle, but I can promise you that it won't make me yell at you. Never.”

 

“Okay.” Kenzie nodded and pressed a sloppy kiss to Daryl's cheek. Then, she stood up on the couch, between his legs, and kissed the top of his head, before she whispered against it. “Daddy's brain? Can you stop shouting at my mommy? Please? Thank you.” she kissed him again and then climbed down from the couch, getting her dolls from her room to play with. 

 

Daryl had to fight his tears. He was devastated. He made his wife withdraw from him and he made his daughter think her family would get broken up. It was mind-blowing, and not in a good way. 

 

“Now, come on, don't get weepy on me now. Ain't like you're doin' that shit on purpose.”

 

“Maybe not, but I should be able to control it better. Fuck... don't even remember it half the time. Sure as hell don't remember callin' her names. Goddammit. She say anythin' to you? Teddy, I mean?”

 

“Nah. She's a trooper, just like all of y'all. Y'all are doin' fine, don't stress out about it.” Merle waved him off. “Focus on getting better. Yer girl knows what she's talking about, so listen to her, do your exercises, take your meds, and shit will be right as rain again soon. That's all ya can do.”

 

The room fell silent, except for Kenzie, who was playing, and Merle, who engaged with her here and there, but Daryl was quiet and deep in thought for a while. “Can ya take us to the store?” he asked his older brother a little later. 

 

“Why?”

 

“I wanna make dinner for Teddy. And you're gonna help me.”

 

“Fine.” Merle agreed with a sigh.

 

Daryl went into the kitchen to find their cookbook and started to make a list of things he needed to get. An hour later, a big pot of potatoes was boiling on the stove and Merle took Kenzie outside to get fresh herbs from the garden. Teddy didn't like the traditional potato salad that was made with mayo, but they had found a recipe without mayo, which she loved and which she devoured bowl after bowl of. Instead of using mayo, a couple of spoons full of vinegar and a cup of hot beef stock was poured over the peeled, sliced, and still warm, potatoes. Later, he would fry two diced onions and some smoked ham cubes in a skillet until browned and add it to the potatoes. The grease from the ham mixed with the vinegar and the beef stock turned into a killer sauce for the potatoes to be marinated in. It had turned into one of her favorites, which was why he was making it for her today. They hadn't had it in a while, he was sure she would be happy about him making it for her. Shortly before she would be done with work, he would throw some nice steaks on the grill and serve them with the salad and homemade herb butter, which Merle and Kenzie were gathering the herbs for right now.

 

He quickly diced the onions and set them aside for later. The potatoes had to cook for a while longer, so he took the opportunity to rest on the couch for a bit. He hated admitting it, but going to the store had wiped him out. Merle would have to help him out more with prepping the salad, than he liked. He would not allow himself to fall asleep before he'd had some quality time with Teddy today. It was more than important to him, so he willingly did, what Teddy usually had to force him to do... he put his feet up and closed his eyes for a bit, trusting Merle to keep an eye on the stove and on Kenzie.

 

Merle saw his brother sleeping, when they came back in, and motioned for Kenzie to be quiet. The young girl knew that it was important for her father to sleep a lot, so she was being a good girl and only whispered with her uncle. When Daryl woke back up later, they finished making the salad together, before they all ate a bit of it, so Kenzie wasn't the only one having dinner. 

After dinner, the three of them hung out some more, then the men gave Kenzie a bath and tucked her into bed. Daryl thanked his older brother for his help, but Merle just scoffed.

 

“Cut it out. Ya did the same for me for years. It's what we do.” 

 

Merle stayed around a bit longer, but a couple of minutes before Teddy would be coming back upstairs, he left, so the two of them would have their privacy.

* * *

Teddy felt so much better after her birthing class had ended. She truly loved what she was doing these days. It was really fun for her and it had helped to put her back in a better mood again. The slight smile on her face widened as she walked up the stairs and a delicious smell hit her nostrils. Her mouth was watering and her stomach was growling. She had totally forgotten to eat since breakfast and now she felt famished. 

 

She found Daryl carrying a plate of meat over to the table, where a big bowl of potato salad was already waiting to be eaten, along with baguette and herb butter. Her stomach rumbled even louder, and she quickly put her hand on it with a laugh. “Jesus... Mmmm... you made dinner?”

 

“Yeah. With Merle and Turtle's help. Sit down, darlin'.” he ushered her over to her chair with a smile. Before Teddy sat down, she quickly reached for him and kissed him gently on the lips, and thereby, she unknowingly put Daryl out of his misery. At least out of part of his misery. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer while he deepened the kiss. His heart was pounding in his chest. He was still nervous about her pushing him away any minute, but of course he had nothing to worry about. Teddy happily wrapped herself around her husband and shared several long and soulful, open-mouthed kisses with him. “Fuck.” he breathed as he rubbed the tip of his nose against hers. “Missed ya so fucking much today, Teddy. This day killed me.”

 

“I know. I'm sorry you suffered, but I needed to get out for a bit.”

 

Daryl was on the verge of restarting their discussion from earlier, but he didn't want to bombard her right away. “Let's eat.” he quickly changed the topic, before their steaks would get cold. While they took their first bites of their meal, Daryl decided not to tell Teddy about Kenzie. His wife had enough going on. He hoped he had been able to chase off Kenzie's fears about him and Teddy divorcing, and that the little girl wouldn't bring it up with her mother. 

 

“Oh God, this is so good. Thank you, baby.” Teddy moaned. The steak was perfection, as was the salad. She let a big scoop of the butter melt on her steak while she put another big scoop on a piece of baguette, and then, literally, stuffed her face with it. “Mmmmm, so so good. You have no idea.”

 

Daryl was grinning from ear to ear. He loved watching her dig in with gusto. She had gotten thinner again during the past few weeks, so it was a joy to see her enjoying her food like that. “Glad ya like it. Ya know,... you've been doin' so much lately... I can finally do more again with both hands free... thought it would be a nice surprise.”

 

“It is. Thank you.” Teddy smiled at him, before she ate another bite of her steak. “I called physical therapy and made some appointments around my work schedule.”

 

“Do I really gotta do that crap?”

 

“If you ever want to work as a mechanic again, then yes. Don't you want to get your full range of motion back? Or at least close to that?” She asked and then sighed when he simply shrugged with a sullen expression on his face. “Daryl,... You need to accept that you need help with this. There's nothing embarrassing about it. It doesn't make you less of a man. What you're doing right now, denying everything and resisting help, that's what's making you less of a man, not the other way around. I love you, more than anything, but you're acting like a stubborn child where that stuff is concerned.”

 

“So you are sick of me...”

 

“I swear to God, Daryl, if you keep saying that, I will punch you. I'm not the kind of person to run away when it gets a little tough. And I'm kind of insulted that you seem to think that I am that kind of person.”

 

“I don't. It's just... You don't deserve this. You're lettin' me get away with murder right now, and it ain't right.”

 

“What am I supposed to do? Yell right back? What would that help? Talking about it right now won't help, either. We're stuck in this situation right now, but we're making the best of it and are trying to move on. Is it tough? Yes, it is. Do I sometimes want to scream and cry? Hell, yeah. But I can promise you, Daryl, not once, during the last month and a half, did I ever resent you or judge you for the things you said. It's not you that's saying those things, it's the injury. But it's getting better with every week. You don't forget things as much or as quickly anymore. You're able to focus better. You are able to look through your motorcycle magazine for a couple of minutes. Your stamina is increasing, you're able to walk a bit longer every week, and we'll get your hand back to full strength, too... I know it's all taking longer than you wanted it to, but rest assured, when I tell you that you are recovering much quicker than most. I am so happy that you're doing so well. I won't lie, it's tough for me, too, especially when you explode at me, but the good still outweighs the bad here. It will continue to be a process for at least another couple of weeks, but I don't care. I'm with you. I will always be with you. Nothing about my feelings for you changed. Me needing a time out from the family, doesn't mean that I don't love you guys. Everything is fine, Daryl. I love you and I won't run. And this is the last time, I'm gonna say it. Don't worry about us. Got it?” Daryl nodded, but Teddy was able to see that he was struggling to keep it together. The day had been taxing for him and he felt so drained and slightly depressed, that he was more emotional than usual. Teddy got up from her seat and straddled him in his chair. She kissed him lovingly and then pulled his face to the crook of her neck, where he gladly hid it, while the dam burst. 

 

Teddy hugged him and gently stroked his hair, as he cried out his frustrations, fears and feelings of being a worthless piece of shit. “Let's go to bed, sweetie.” she whispered into his ear, as soon as he had calmed down a little. She got up and led him into the bedroom, where she undressed herself and then him. 

 

“Fucking scared of losin' ya, Teddy.” he hiccuped, when he was wrapped around her and sought comfort in her warm embrace and her gentle touches. 

 

“You don't have to be. Nothing's going to happen. Try to relax. Try to take your mind off of all this doom and gloom.”

 

Daryl nodded and absently stroked his hand over her naked belly, while he tried to let go of all the things that had caused him to be sad and anxious today. “Hey,...” an idea suddenly popped into his head. “Think we might be able to hang out with the babies tomorrow?”

 

Teddy's brows furrowed in mock-horror. “With the twins? Cry Baby 1 and Even Bigger Cry Baby 2? Too much noise still hurts your ears and your head.”

 

“Nah, they never cry when I got 'em.” he proudly grinned a little. “I think it would be fun. Would take my mind off of things for a bit. We can take them back if it gets too much.”

 

“Fine, Baby Whisperer.” Teddy agreed and reached for her phone. “Let me text Maggie real quick and ask.”

 

“Thanks.” Daryl murmured and pressed a soft kiss right between her breasts. Then, he snuggled his cheek back against that spot and slowly felt himself getting drowsy. He hoped this night would be better than the last. He felt like shit and was in pain whenever he wasn't able to sleep, and he didn't need a repeat performance of today. No thanks,... actually, for the first time he hoped, that he would be able to forget about this horrible day.

* * *

The next morning, things were back to being much better. Maggie picked up Kenzie, as usual, and a couple of minutes later, Billy brought his baby boys. They had done it like that on purpose, so Kenzie wouldn't get sad and make a ruckus about having to go to school, when her little cousins got to spend time with her mommy and daddy. Daryl enjoyed Billy sticking around a bit. His brother-in-law was so busy with work and his own family, that he hadn't had much time to pop in and say hi. They talked about the garage for a bit, and Daryl once more expressed his desire to go back to work as soon as possible. Billy smiled and clapped his hand down on Daryl's shoulder. “We all miss ya, but you make sure to get better first. That's the most important thing. We got your back.”

 

It was an immense relief to Daryl, that he wouldn't have to fear for his job, what with being co-owner of the business. It was one less thing to worry about. Thank God for small favors. “Still can't wait to get back.” Daryl mumbled as he fed a bottle to Billy's son Sammy.

 

“The missus driving you nuts?” Billy smirked and jabbed his elbow into Teddy's ribs.

 

“No.” Teddy shot her brother a dirty look while she bounced the other twin, Ben, on her lap. “But sitting around so much is driving him crazy. You know how it is.”

 

“Yeah, I know, I know. Alright guys, I gotta run. Hershel and Beth are prepared to take the kids whenever y'all bring them back. As soon as you got enough, just take them to the farm.” Billy instructed and then kissed both his kids on the forehead, before he left.

 

Daryl was finished feeding Sam, so he put him against his shoulder and patted his back, burping the little boy expertly. 

 

Teddy smirked. “Still got it, huh?”

 

“Ya know it.” Daryl winked and wiped Sam's mouth, where a bit of milk had come back out. “How about we take 'em down to the lake?”

 

“Do you think you'll be able to make it that far?”

 

Daryl thought about it for a moment, before he nodded. “Yeah, I feel real good today. And we can take a blanket and I can lay down there. It's nice out. I feel like I could use bein' outside more again. Think it might help... Been cooped up in here for too long. We still have some of those diapers for swimming for them, right? We can take them into the water for a bit. Pack some food for us... Have a nice mornin' outside with them.”

 

Teddy nodded with a smile. She loved the idea. Also, Daryl seemed very enthusiastic about it, which made her happy and her heart swell. For a moment, she thought about keeping Kenzie home from school for a bit, because it seemed like the kids did a better job at distracting and motivating him, than she did, but school and the whole routine was good for Kenzie, so maybe they would babysit the twins more often if he liked it so much. “I'll pack us a bag.” she smiled and leaned over to kiss him, before she got up and perched Ben on her hip, while she got out the things they would need. Daryl, meanwhile, balanced Sam on his knees and held him by his hands and bounced him a little, making the baby squeal and giggle. The noise didn't hurt him, quite the opposite actually. The babies' laughter was balm for the soul and always put a smile on is face. 

 

That smile also stayed on his face throughout the whole morning. When they arrived at the lake, he was a bit tired, but a short rest on the blanket, some food, some water and playing with the boys did wonders for his disposition. Teddy soon started inflating the little baby life ring floats, for the kids to safely sit in, while they were in the water. She was doing it by mouth and the boys chuckled their little asses off, because she had a hard time and they found it insanely funny to see her with a red face and out of breath. “Why did I not bring the damn pump?” she lamented as she got a little light headed. 

 

“Seems like I'm not the only one forgetting shit.” Daryl smirked and quickly dodged the incoming punch.

 

Soon enough, all four of them were in the water, where they stuck to the shallow end, where both adults were able to stand and keep the floats steady. The boys were happily kicking with their legs, and their happiness quickly infected the adults, too. Teddy and Daryl played around and teased each other a little, they shared little kisses and some flirtation, while they had fun with the babes. Daryl's idea to hang out with the little ones seemed to have been golden. When they slowly walked back to the house around noon, they both felt invigorated and lighter, for lack of a better word. 

 

Teddy realized, that she might have been too overly careful with Daryl. He belonged outside, but she had always quickly ushered him back inside, when he had gotten tired, and he had let her do it. They were both silently realizing that it might have been a mistake. It had been stupid of her, but she had always thought that it would be better for him to rest inside, where he could put his feet up. As a result, he had been dissatisfied and a little depressed. She could have kept that from happening, by just taking a backpack with the essentials (like blanket, snacks and water) with them, and have him take a break outside. Splashing around in the water seemed to have been good for him, too. She didn't know why they hadn't made better use of that until now. Well, actually, she did know: she had been too scared to let him be active. But Daryl had always been a very active person. He needed it, and the fresh air might have helped him sleep better. 

 

“We should do that again tomorrow.” she said, when they were almost back at the house.

 

“Yeah.” Daryl agreed with a little smile. “Maybe some skinny dipping without the kids there?”

 

“Now you're talking.” Teddy laughed, but on the inside, a sharp pull in her lady parts made her shiver, when a hot, naughty image flashed in front of her inner eye. “Good God....”

 

Daryl looked at her curiously when he heard her gasp a little and saw her cheeks redden. “What are ya thinking about, darlin'?”

 

“Just thought about you,... being naked and wet, fresh out of the water,... and how I ride you right there on the blanket next to the water...” Teddy admitted quietly and bit her lip around a sheepish grin.

 

Daryl made a strangled noise in the back of his throat and reached down to adjust himself. “Shit... we're definitely going back there, tomorrow.”

* * *

“Teddy?”

 

“Daryl?” Teddy smirked and giggled, when he poked her ribs. It was late evening, Kenzie was in bed and so were they. But while Kenzie was already asleep, her parents were making out and teasing each other a little. 

 

“Smartass.” he kissed her and let his hands slide back down to her ass, where he had been busy with rubbing and squeezing. “Today was good.”

 

“It was.”

 

“Made me think.”

 

“About what?” Teddy asked and let the tip of her index finger slowly circle his nipple.

 

Daryl didn't say anything, which made her think that he might have forgotten about what he had wanted to say, but just when she was about to ask, he told her what was on his mind. “I think we should have another baby.”

 

Teddy's eyes widened and quickly snapped up to meet his. For a second, she was stunned. Then, she burst into laughter. “Oh,... haha... good one.” she giggled and relaxed, thinking he had been joking. However, the laughter died, when she noticed his expression. “Oh my God, you're serious?!?!”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“No.”

 

“Teddy...”

 

“No.”

 

“Don't say no, just think ab-”

 

“No. Nope. Niet. Nein and No again. No. No. No. Oh God, no. No...” Teddy was so stunned, she wasn't able to stop saying no. They'd had such a great day, but now it seemed like it might get ruined again, after all.

* * *

** Thank you for reading! **

 

** For those, who read the couple of chapters of the ill-fated sequel to this story last year: Yes, Teddy had her tubes tied in the sequel, but, well, the sequel got deleted and therefore didn't happen, so she is still fertile in this universe. **

 

** I think this might have been the last chapter focusing on Daryl's recovery. I don't want to drag it out forever and ever, because it would be the same all over again. Time for some more carefree times again, right? **

 

** Let me know what you think! **


	47. Chapter 47

“You really don't want another baby?” Daryl had a hard time believing that. He'd seen how much fun she'd had with the twins earlier.

 

“No, Daryl, I don't. And neither do you. You're just being sentimental. Kenzie is almost 4 years old and throughout all of those 4 years, we agreed wholeheartedly, that she was more than enough for us. Remember how hard those first 3 years were? Oh wait, no, you don't, because I was stuck home alone with her all week long.”

 

“You WANTED to be home with her the first 3 years. Remember that?” Daryl shot back. “I know it was harder than ya imagined, but that ain't no reason to go all bitch on me now.”

 

When he mentioned that, Teddy's mouth snapped shut before she was able to launch herself into a tirade. Instead, she took a long, long, deep breath, trying to center herself. “You're right, I'm out of line. I'm sorry. I'm just really shocked here, Daryl.”

 

“Maybe we should wait until the shock wore off, before we talk about it.”

 

“There is nothing to talk about, Daryl. I'm sorry, but there just isn't.” Teddy insisted.

 

“Why not? Come on, gimme one good reason.”

 

“Only one? I can give you at least five!” Teddy scoffed. “Number 1: I don't want another child. Number 2: I'm 34 now, the risks are already higher at my age than when I had Kenzie. Number 3: I love my job and I refuse to give it up again to raise another child. Number 4: Financial reasons. Number 5: We don't have the room, and like I said, I'm not giving up my job in order to free up one of the rooms for another child. Number 6: It might be twins. Or triplets. Number 7: You were the first to say that you don't envy Maggie and Billy, when they had the twins. You're not ready for another one, either. Number 8: Kenzie is still a handful. We already have less time for each other than we'd like. Add a baby to the mix and our alone time would be pretty much nonexistent. I can't live with that. Number 9: A guilty conscience. Kenzie got to stay home with me for three years. This one I'd pawn off to a daycare center as soon as possible, in order to be able to work. Number 10: All the money I make would pretty much go towards paying for daycare, but we'd still have to pay for diapers, formula and shit. Wait, that falls under Number 4. Okay, new Number 10: I think the age gap between the kids would be too big. There, I gave you 10-11 reasons, why we can't and shouldn't have another baby.”

 

“The age gap thing is bullshit. Me and Merle are further apart than that and it was fine...” he countered with a shrug, and unfortunately, it was the only thing he was able to truly argue with. With everything else, Teddy had a point, much to his chagrin.

 

“You can't compare you and Merle with Kenzie and a possible sibling. The circumstances are vastly different. Just imagine having two girls in the house. One 16 years old, the other one 12... both at the peak of unbearable-ness with puberty, first boyfriends, high school drama, bitch fights, etc. No. Just no.”

 

“But what if it's a boy? A little boy, hm? Ya always wanted one.” Daryl tried with a gentle smile, but unfortunately, it didn't have the desired effect.

 

“I had a boy.” Teddy murmured quietly as she gazed at the tattoo on her right wrist. “Wasn't meant to be.”

“He would be 10 this year, right?”

 

“Yeah. 10 years and it still hurts like hell. I still remember what he smelled like. What he looked like when he slept in my arms... I still remember the little grunt he used to make when he filled his diaper.” Teddy laughed with misty eyes, making Daryl chuckle as well.

 

“Can I ask ya something?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“It was different with him, wasn't it?” Daryl had wondered about it for years, but for whatever reason, he had never asked. “Different than it was with Kenzie. When ya talk about it, it sounds like ya were happier being **his** momma.” he said it without reproach, but Teddy still flinched.

 

“God, Daryl... that sounds horrible. Like you're saying I don't love her or that I love her less.”

 

“I don't mean it like that. I know you love her. I just get a completely different vibe when ya talk about him, than when we remember Kenzie's first months.”

 

“It was different.” Teddy admitted under tears. “I don't know how it would have turned out in the long run, but those few weeks I got to spend with him, it was different than with her. I had a connection with him, right from the start. I just don't have that with Kenzie. She has that with you. I thought it would come naturally during the first few months, but it never happened. Something is just missing between us. She's Daddy's little girl, and that is totally fine, but I sometimes feel a little left out. She's insanely attached to you. She loves me, I know that, but I also know that if she would have to choose, she would choose you a thousand times, before she would ever consider choosing me. I'm not bitter about it. A little sad, but... it doesn't make me love her less. My relationship with her is simply different than it used to be with Milo. But it was also different circumstances back then. It was only him and me. I wasn't struggling with myself after giving birth, like I was after Kenzie was born. I didn't care what I looked like. I didn't feel pressured. I only needed to be there for him. I felt like a real mom with him. I only felt like a stressed out mess with Kenzie. We'll never have what you two have, that's just a fact. We'll always clash. Just like I did with my mom... Guess history does repeat itself.”

 

“Don't say that. You ain't like your mother.”

 

“No, I'm not. I won't ever belittle my daughter and make her feel bad about herself. But I do think, that my relationship with Kenzie will always mirror the one between me and my mother. As sad as that is...”

 

“But maybe that's a good reason to try for another one. Maybe things will be better. Third times the charm, right?” Daryl wasn't giving up just yet. He wasn't surprised by Teddy's admission. He wasn't stupid. Like he'd told Teddy, he'd always felt a difference between her talking about Kenzie and her talking about Milo. The whole thing with the missing connection between her and Kenzie made sense. He'd been able to witness it over the years, he just hadn't been able to put it into words. It was evident they loved each other dearly, but often, they didn't really click and it caused tension and little fights between mother and daughter. They were at a constant standoff, it seemed.

 

“Tell you what.” Teddy's voice cut through his thoughts. “Give yourself some more time to heal and get back to normal. Make sure that this isn't the brain injury talking and then, in, I don't know, 2-3 months, you think about this whole thing again, and if you still feel like you want another baby, we'll have a real discussion about it. Right now, while you are still recovering, I'm shutting this thing down. Not talking about it anymore. That's final.”

 

Daryl nodded with a sigh. “Fair enough.” He had to admit to himself, that she might not be entirely wrong. Before the accident, he'd never felt the desire to have another child, and the 10-11 points she had listed earlier kind of made sense. He should probably have all of his brain function back, before they would make any life-changing decisions, like having another baby.

 

“Okay.” Teddy sighed in relief and started relaxing again. They fell silent, both deep in thought while they absently caressed each other, until they fell asleep.

* * *

**3 months later**

 

“Blrgh!” Teddy stepped from the bathroom into the bedroom with a disgusted expression on her face.

 

“What?” Daryl was lounging on top of the bed in his boxer briefs, and looked up at her with an amused smirk.

 

“That new mouthwash is pure acid. Ugh, it's awful.” she shuddered at the taste in her mouth and grabbed for the water bottle on her nightstand.

 

“Yeah. Feels like it's burnin' your tongue right outta your mouth. Why'd ya buy that?”

 

“They were out of the one we usually use and I didn't feel like going to another store just for a bottle of mouthwash.”

 

“That'll teach ya.” he chuckled, even though he was paying the price as well.

 

“Someone's happy...” Teddy smirked after having gulped down some water.

 

“Yeah.” Daryl smiled. “Been a good week. Feels good bein' back at work. Even if it's just a couple hours every day... still feels good bein' useful again.”

 

“I know what you mean. Sooner than you think, you'll be back full-time and will pray for the weekend to come.” Teddy grinned while she climbed atop of him. She straddled his hips and rested her upper body against his, letting him wrap her in his strong arms, while she rubbed the tip of her nose against the side of his neck.

 

“Can't wait.” he sighed happily. “How was your class?”

 

“It was great. Never gets old about how horrified everyone gets about accidental pooping during pushing.” Teddy laughed quietly.

 

“You would'a been horrified, too, if it had happened in the truck.” Daryl chuckled.

 

“Afterwards, yeah. You don't care when you're in all that pain, but after? Hell yeah, I wouldn't have been able to look at you for at least a week.” Teddy was only half-joking. By now, after 5 years together, she had no problem peeing, while he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth or taking a shower or something, but pooping was one of those things that absolutely didn't need to be shared, in her opinion. Daryl agreed on that one, but if it would have happened while she had given birth to their Little Turtle, it wouldn't have been a huge deal. Shit happened... literally. 

 

“We got lucky everything went so well back then.” Daryl reminisced. He still remembered every little second of that awe-inducing event. He still remembered holding his tiny daughter for the very first time. It was hard to believe that she had turned into this rambunctious, but adorable and beautiful, chubby little munchkin, who talked your ear off if you let her. They really did grow up way too fast. He wanted to do it again. The sleepless nights, the worrying, all those big milestones... everything. He was ready to do it all once more. His opinion on that hadn't changed. However, he hadn't brought it up yet. He wanted to catch Teddy in the exact right mood for that particular discussion. Teddy was pretty silent right now, and he figured she was beat from the long day of running errands and working, so he decided to call it a night. “We should sleep, hm?”

 

“I don't think I can with this vile taste in my mouth.” Teddy was making a face again. “Hey, want a blowjob?” she giggled at the way Daryl groaned and squeezed her tighter.

 

“Hell yeah. Ya really gotta ask, woman?”

 

“Hm... but I'm so comfy right now... don't wanna move.”

 

“Tease!” he laughed and poked her ribs, making her jump. A moment later he released a little shout when she bit his neck with a tiny growl, but he was also laughing and tickling her sides a bit. “You're so gon' pay for that.”

 

“Mmmm, looking forward to it.”

 

Daryl knew exactly how to make her pay for it right this moment, at least a little. He turned his head and maneuvered his lips closer to her ear. He let his voice drop and started rasping in her ear, just like he knew she got off on. “You wet for me, darlin' girl? Want my fingers in that sweet pussy?” While he asked, one of his hands slid down over her ass, his fingertips slowly inching closer to her opening, which was covered by her panties.

 

“Mhhhmmm...” Teddy should know better than to fall for his game, but her lady parts were betraying her. She started squirming, trying to get his fingers to touch her and slide inside of her. She gasped when his fingers slid across her opening once, before he pulled away.

 

“Too bad it ain't happening then, huh?” he laughed and smacked her butt for good measure, making her groan in frustration even more.

 

“Evil bastard.” she grumbled while she snuggled her face deeper into the crook of his neck.

 

“You play with fire, you get burned, darlin'. Been tellin' ya that for years, but this bad little girl never learns her lesson, right?”  _ And thank God for that,  _ Daryl thought with a grin and gently kissed her hair, where he was able to reach.

 

“Guess so.” Teddy mumbled and returned the sweet gesture by kissing his neck. Then she pushed herself up on her hands and looked at him curiously. “So, how tired exaaaactly are you?”

 

Her question made Daryl laugh. “Get over there.” he pointed to her side of the bed. “Time to go to sleep.”

 

“Fine.” she sighed dramatically, but leaned down with a smile, to give him several kisses goodnight.

 

“Love ya.” he smiled against her lips, before he helped her climb off of him.

 

“Love you.” Teddy responded as she curled up on her side, facing away from him, as usual. She felt Daryl's hands on her butt and felt his thumb slowly rub back and forth along her skin, until he dozed off and the motion eventually stopped. Teddy yawned and snuggled deeper into her pillow, but despite being tired, sleep didn't come. Memories flooded her brain and made her live through some events from the past again. They were happy and silly memories, as well as sad ones. At one point, tears were leaking out of her closed eyes, before another, happier memory dried them right up again. Daryl didn't know it, but him bringing up wanting another child about three months ago, had started to make Teddy think about it. She was cursing him for that a little, because she was pretty damn sure that she didn't want another kid, but then again, he had gotten inside her head with the whole “What if it would be a boy”-thing... She had always wanted a boy... Now knowing that Daryl would want another kid had opened a secret door inside her head, making her allow thoughts of getting pregnant again to drift through her mind every now and then.

 

_ Damn you, Daryl.  _ Teddy sighed quietly and tried shaking off the memories and unwanted thoughts. She started counting inside her head, sometimes the only thing that helped her fall asleep when her head was too full, and eventually, she managed to fall into an uneasy slumber. 

* * *

The next morning after a nice, long family breakfast, Daryl took Kenzie and Roxie for a walk, while Teddy did some laundry and then got out her laptop in order to reply to some business e-mails and to plan the schedule, meals and grocery list for the coming week. She didn't get an awful lot done, though. While putting clean clothes into the closet, she had gotten distracted by something, that was stored at the very top of the closet. And even now, while she was on her laptop, trying to get some work done, her mind drifted to other things and she got distracted again. She was so preoccupied with what she was doing, that she didn't immediately notice that her family was back from their stroll through the woods.

 

“Mommy, can I get some juice?”

 

Teddy jumped and actually released a little shout in shock. “Good Lord, sweetie. You startled me.”

 

“Sorry.” Kenzie giggled, showing that she wasn't sorry at all.

 

Teddy quickly lowered the screen of her laptop as she got up, thinking her computer would snap shut the rest of the way and turn itself off after that. Daryl frowned as he watched his girls walk over to the kitchen, wondering why Teddy was so jumpy. Suddenly, he smirked. He'd left his wife a little frustrated last night... They usually didn't go looking for porn on the computer when Kenzie was around, but maybe, her itch had been stronger than he had assumed. He usually didn't make a habit of snooping, but he was curious, so he walked over to the dining table and opened the laptop back up. His eyes fell on a big book right next to her computer. He recognized it, but before his brain had a chance to tell him where he recognized that book from, Teddy's slightly panicked voice reached his ears.

 

“Noooo, no, no, no, don't look at that!” she started rushing over, but Daryl picked up the laptop, so she wouldn't be able to slam it shut and take it away.

 

“Why not?” he laughed and finally took a good look at the screen.

 

Teddy scrambled for an excuse and uttered the first thing that came to mind. “There's a present for you on there...”

 

“Pfff, nice try. My birthday was last month.” he laughed, before he turned his attention back on the screen. It wasn't porn at all, which confused him a little. “Why are you researching the daycare centers around here?”

 

“Ummmm....” Teddy was at a loss.

 

Daryl looked back at the book on the table and realized, that it was a photo album. Now he remembered exactly what kind of photo album it was and he started connecting the dots. His eyes narrowed, but on his lips an amused, and kind of smug, smirk started to form. “Hey Turtle, you wanna take your juice box and your coloring books outside and keep Roxie company? We'll be out in a little bit.”

 

“Okay.” she ran over to the coffee table and got her coloring book, which she tucked under her right arm, before she grabbed her coloring pencils with her free hand, and then went outside on the deck. Daryl watched her, and when the little girl had sat down on the wooden ground next to Roxie, he turned his gaze back on Teddy.

 

“You want a baby.” he stated, still wearing that annoying smirk. “Or you're thinking about it, at least.”

 

“No, I'm not.” Teddy said defensively. Daryl scoffed and raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“Don't lie.” Daryl warned, but his tone was non-threatening. “Why didn't ya want me to see this? If it's nothing?”

 

“I didn't want you to get your hopes up. That's all.”

 

Daryl nodded and put the laptop back down. “But clearly you  ** are  ** thinking about something here. Am I right?”

 

“I don't know.” Teddy shrugged. “I don't know what I'm doing. But yeah... ever since you said you wanted another, something's been happening in here.” she tapped her index finger against her temple.

 

“Like what?”

 

“I don't know. I don't know what to tell you. I'm really conflicted, Daryl. The idea of having a baby again is a nice one. It's nice to imagine it. But then there are all the reasons against having one, and as you know, there are a lot of those reasons. And they cannot be ignored.”

 

“I remember.” Daryl went over to where she stood and enveloped her in a warm hug. “Let's talk about it tonight. Yeah?”

 

“Yeah.” Teddy agreed, thankful for the time she would have to clear her head a little until then.

 

“Let's go outside.”

 

“I'll grab some drinks for us. Go ahead.” She smiled and gave him a little kiss.

 

Daryl didn't go outside empty-handed, either. He took Milo's photo album with him. “Hey, Sweetheart. Wanna look at pictures of your big brother again?”

 

“Yessss!!!” Kenzie loved looking at baby pictures. She knew about Milo. She didn't really understand what had happened to him, of course, but they had told her about him and had shown her some pictures. She climbed on Daryl's lap, just when Teddy came out with a big pitcher of iced tea. “He looks like a little monkey.” Kenzie giggled as she tapped her chubby finger on the first picture.

 

“Yeah, he did.” Teddy smiled wistfully. “But a cute monkey.”

 

“You're one to talk.” Daryl grinned and tickled his daughter. “You had even more hair than him when ya were born.”

 

“I'm a cute monkey, too, then.” she said like it was the most logical thing in the world, making both her parents laugh.

 

“Smart girl.” Daryl chuckled and kissed the back of her head.

 

They flipped through the album and Teddy and Daryl shared stories with Kenzie, about Milo's first bath and her own first bath. His first time throwing up all over Mommy, and her first time doing that. Kenzie loved hearing that stuff. It was one of the rare things where she was able to sit still for a whole hour and listen to her parents. When they reached the last picture, Kenzie leaned down and kissed it. “Bye bye Milo. Have fun playing with the angels.” she whispered, before she shut the album.

 

Teddy had vowed to herself, that she wouldn't cry while looking at the pictures, but when her daughter did that, she lost control over her tear ducts.

 

“Mommy, you're crying.” Kenzie stated with surprise.

 

“Yes, I'm sorry, Sweetie. Sometimes Mommy misses him a lot, you know?”

 

“Can't the angels send him down to play with us for a little bit?”

 

“I'm afraid that's not possible.” Teddy smiled bravely.

 

“Hm. Do you miss him, too, Daddy?”

 

“I never met him, Turtle. I ain't his daddy, remember? But I'm sad for Momma that she has to miss him so much.”

 

“Does he like chocolate cupcakes?”

 

“Doesn't everybody?” Daryl smirked.

 

“We should make cupcakes!” Kenzie exclaimed and got very fired up about the idea. “Can we, Mommy? Please? And we make one special for my big brother and we put it in the window, like cookies for Santa, and the angels can come get it and bring it to him. Can we?”

 

Now it was Daryl's turn to get teary-eyed, but unlike Teddy, he succeeded in blinking his tears away quickly. “I think we should do that. That's a great idea, Turtle. Right?” he asked, looking at Teddy.

 

“I agree.” Teddy nodded as she wiped her tear-stained face with her shirt.

 

“Let's go do that right now.” Daryl said and lifted Kenzie into his arms instead of setting her down. He wanted to carry her and have her close for a bit longer. She was so cute, his heart was about to burst. He slung his other arm around Teddy and pulled her in for a kiss. “Go take an aspirin, before we start. Don't want ya to have a headache from crying.”

 

That made Teddy want to cry even more. He knew her so well. As a matter of fact, the pain was already starting to build in her forehead, but she would have forgotten about taking something for it, if it wouldn't have been for him reminding her. She excused herself for a minute and went to take the aspirin, and to freshen up real quick. When she got back, the three of them worked together to make some awesome chocolate-y cupcakes with extra chocolate chips. Once the baked goods had cooled a bit, they decorated them with frosting, sprinkles and M&M's. The one that had turned out the prettiest after baking in the oven, they had set aside and kept for last. With baby blue icing that came out of a little store-bought tube, they wrote “For Milo” on it and put a single little heart-shaped sprinkle underneath.

 

When they were finished, all three of them were covered with flour, but none of them cared. They cuddled up together on their big couch and ate cupcakes and drank chocolate milk. It was lunch time, but this time they made an exception and would simply have lunch a little later and push dinner back a little, too. They soon ended up with Teddy having Kenzie's head in her lap, while Daryl had Kenzie's feet in his lap. He was holding both her feet in one of his hands and was tickling the soles mercilessly, while Kenzie laughed and squealed so much, that she got the hiccups, while she tried to get away.

 

In the afternoon, they took her to the lake for an hour, and after dinner, they let her put the cupcake in the windowsill, before they tucked her in for the night. By the time her head hit the pillow she was so beat, that her eyes were already closed when Daryl pulled the blanket up to her belly to cover her. No reading required tonight, her parents had successfully worn her out.

 

Since nothing really good was ever on TV anymore, Daryl and Teddy preferred to hang out in bed at night. They often put on some music, sometimes they had a glass of wine, sometimes they watched a movie on her laptop and had some snacks, and other times they just cuddled or talked or made out, had sex, etc. It was their time and they enjoyed it to the fullest, whenever they could.

But before he would join Teddy in their bedroom, it was Daryl's task to go around the house and make sure that all the doors and windows were closed and locked. Tonight, it was also his responsibility to remove the cupcake from the windowsill and replace it with “angel dust”, which was really a bit of colorful glitter from Teddy's Arts & Crafts box. One small, white feather was also placed amidst the traces of glitter, helping to sell the act by showing her that the angels had really been there and had lost a feather from their wings.

 

Teddy, meanwhile, had taken a quick shower. She had felt icky and disgusting after all the crying and the food stains she had gotten all over herself over the course of the day. Now she felt refreshed and calmer, a sense of peace settling over her, as she stood in front of the sink. That's where Daryl found her, wrapped in her towel and with her long, damp hair falling over her shoulders, while she looked down at something in her hands. He stepped up behind her and held the cupcake in front of her face. 

 

“Ya want?”

 

“No. We can't eat it. It's his.” she explained with a gentle smile as she looked at him in the slightly foggy mirror.

 

“Whatcha wanna do with it?”

 

“Wrap it up and put it in the freezer.”

 

“Forever?”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Yeah. True. Don't bother no one in there, I reckon.” he carefully set the cupcake down on the counter next to the sink, then he slowly pushed her hair to rest over her left shoulder, and softly kissed her neck while he wrapped his arms around her. “What're you doing?” He looked down, trying to make out what she was holding in her hands.

 

“I'm throwing out my birth control pills.”

 

Daryl froze in surprise. “Wha'? You are? For real? Why? Hold on...” He released her and turned her around to face him. “This mornin' ya said you're conflicted...”

 

“I know. I really was. But sometimes little things happen, that put everything in perspective within a matter of minutes.”

 

“Kenzie?”

 

“Mhm.” Teddy nodded. “When we looked at the pictures with her, it reminded me of what happened to Milo, what happened to my father and of what happened to you... Life can be so unbelievably short, I shouldn't waste time on trying to find reasons why  ** not  ** to do something great, you know? Yeah, I'm 34 and it would be slightly riskier. Yeah, we don't have an extra room for the baby, for when it's old enough to sleep in its own room,...But all the problems I listed back then, it's all manageable. I don't even want to talk this to death. We should do it and figure out the rest along the way.”

 

“I agree, but we're gon' have to talk about it a little more, babe. I got questions. Couple'a concerns maybe... So get your pretty ass into bed, while I take care of your boy's cupcake. Alright?”

 

“Alright.” Teddy agreed. She shed the towel and slipped into her black jersey nighty, with the lace at the boobs, which was her and Daryl's favorite. She sat cross-legged on their bed and snacked on some mini-pretzels while she waited for her husband to return. It took longer than she had expected, and when he came back in, he wore a sad expression. “What's wrong?”

 

Instead of an answer, she got a kiss, that would have swept her off her feet, had she been standing. Daryl knelt on the bed in front of her, cradled her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers in an intense, emotion-laden kiss. “I don't know how ya survived.”

 

“What?” Teddy was puzzled.

 

Daryl dropped on his ass and mirrored her pose, sitting cross-legged right across from her, their knees touching. “When ya first told me 'bout him dying, I knew it must have been fucking tough... When ya were pregnant, I started to feel, like,... I don't know... Like I was starting to get an idea of what ya must have felt like... But now... now that our girl's here... Just imagining waking up one morning and going into her room and find her... “ Daryl had to stop himself because tears started to sting his eyes and his voice started to crack. “I can't even fully let myself imagine it, because it fucking hurts too much.”

 

“Oh, baby...” Teddy put her hand against his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb.

 

“It's fucking horrible, Teddy. I don't know how ya were able to go on. Dunno how anyone can. You're the strongest person I know, girl. Took me kind of a long time, but I think I just realized how strong ya were havin' our girl. I know I talked a big game, 'bout how ya gotta push through your fears and don't let it keep ya from livin'.... but damn... I'm not sure that I would'a been able to go through with it, if the roles had been reversed, ya know?”

 

“You would have been. Because you are damn strong, too, baby.”

 

“I don't want ya to throw your pills out just yet.” he told her next.

 

“Oh... you changed your mind?”

 

“No. I still want another kid, but you changing your mind happened a bit too quick for my taste, Teddy. This morning you were damn confused and just a couple of hours later you're ready to go for it...”

 

“It wasn't quite like that.”

 

“But that's what it looks like. I don't want ya to go off birth control and then in a month find out that you're pregnant and have ya realize that it was just a spur of the moment kinda deal, and that ya don't want another kid after all.... I mean, ya had a pretty fucking strong reaction when I first told ya.”

 

“I know, but look at the circumstances. We were in the midst of one of the most difficult times we've ever been through. And then you sprung that on me out of nowhere, after four years of agreeing not to have another. I was more than just a little surprised. I was shocked. I was already overwhelmed and that overwhelmed me even more... but you started something. I don't know how to explain it, but you kinda opened something up inside of me and I started thinking about it. It's been a process. How long has it been? Like 3 months? I've been thinking about it for months, Daryl. I mean, I was looking at daycare options... does that spell to you that it was just a spur of the moment thing?”

 

“So what are you saying? It was like back when your daddy died and for a month you planned all this stuff with selling the practice and buying this place inside your head before ya told me?”

 

“Yeah. It's exactly like that. You know I have to sometimes think big things through on my own for a bit, before I can talk about it.”

 

“Then why were ya so weird this mornin'?”

 

“I kind of felt caught in the act. I didn't feel like I was ready to talk about it yet. I didn't want you to know that I was actually thinking about it and was close to making a decision. So I was a bit defensive, I guess, because I felt unprepared and not ready to explain myself yet. But the day we spent with our daughter today helped me a lot to finally make the decision. I've been leaning towards yes already and she gave me the last push... When we told her stories... about herself and about Milo, I had this feeling... I suddenly knew for sure that we weren't done yet. I want more of those stories to tell. I want to do it again, as crazy as that might be. All the other things I considered problems... Like I said, it's manageable. We have some financial means, we can afford another child. We've become good at saving money by being mostly self-sufficient and using couponing for the rest. Just because we don't have the room right now, doesn't mean that we can't expand and build a new room. Just because raising her was so hard the first couple of years, doesn't mean that it's going to be hard again. Like you said back in the day, just because one child died, doesn't mean that another child of ours would die, too. There is such a thing as being too careful. And I tend to be too careful and deny myself things... Sometimes I keep myself from living my life to the fullest by worrying too much. I think too much... With Kenzie it was so hard, because back then, all I had, apart from you, was raising her. I was around toddlers the whole day with no adult around to talk to, with nothing real productive to do, you know? If we have another child, it really would be different, because I would definitely return to work after two months. I need it. It keeps me sane. And I need you to be okay with that.”

 

“I dunno Teddy... it would be kinda unfair to the kid. Little Turtle got ta stay with ya and Johnny for three whole years...”

 

“I know. I feel guilty about that, too, but there might be a way to kind of compromise. On Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have my classes at night, I could keep the mornings appointment-free. This way, I would spend the day with our baby and as soon as you're back from work, you can take the kids and I do the classes. Including the weekend, that's already four days we would be able to take care of it on our own. I might offer just a couple of appointments on the weekend, just a few to make up for the ones I'm gonna cancel during the week. Like, 2 hours of work on Saturdays and Sundays when you take the long walks with Roxie and Kenzie... and the baby. That would work. On other days, maybe I can try to group my appointments a bit better in the mornings and early afternoon and then we could try to get a regular sitter for those time spans. Maybe even my mother... She could come over and look after it while I'm downstairs...”

 

“Ya want your momma here?” Daryl's eyebrows almost touched his hairline, he was so surprised.

 

“I might not be her biggest fan, but she is amazing with the kids.”

 

“Can't argue with that.” Daryl agreed. “That might work. I like that better than pawning it off to a center, like ya said back then.”

 

“Yeah. But seriously, Daryl, that point is non-negotiable... I won't quit working this time. I almost lost my mind with Kenzie.”

 

“We'll make it work. The good thing is that you work at home and that you're pretty flexible. The rest we can take care of as we go along. We're good at that.”

 

“That we are.” Teddy smiled as she popped another pretzel into her mouth.

 

“Shit...” A cute little grin formed on Daryl's sexy lips. “We're really gonna do it?”

 

“We are.”

 

“And you're sure? I need ya ta be 110% sure Teddy.”

 

“I am. We're gonna have another baby, Daryl.”

 

Daryl's grin widened. He went up on his knees and advanced on Teddy, knocking over the bowl with pretzels in the process. He pushed her down on her back, while their lips were locked in a happy, giggly kiss. “Thank you. For going through the shitty stuff again for us.”

 

“For the third time. Now it's official. I'm crazy.” she laughed.

 

“That's why I married ya. Part of your charm.” he smirked. He laid down on top of her between her legs, supporting part of his weight on his forearms, so he wouldn't crush her. “Ya know what? If it's a girl again, I'm throwing the name 'Dixie' back in the race.”

 

“Good, then I'll throw Sawyer back in there.”

 

“It's gon' be a fight this time, huh?”

 

“We'll see. Whatever happens, it's gonna be fun, I'm sure.”

 

“Fuck yeah, it's gonna be fun. Remember the sex?” Daryl groaned when he thought back to some of the pregnancy fun they'd had. “Damn girl, the fucking was so goddamn awesome. Some of the best ever.”

 

“Oh yeah.” Teddy agreed. “That's definitely the upside of pregnancy.

 

“Mmmmm, your tits gon' get bigger again. I know ya hate that, but I can't wait, woman.” One of Daryl's hand slid down, to cup and squeeze Teddy's right breast, while he said it.

 

“I'm not sure I'll care this time around.” Teddy smiled. “You showed me more than enough that you want me, no matter what. I don't think I have too many hangups about my looks anymore. Or do I?”

 

“Nah. All good.” he purred while he was busy pulling down the lacy fabric that was covering her right breast. “Veeery good. Mmmm.” As soon as he had exposed her nipple, his lips closed around it and he teased it with his tongue.

 

Teddy threaded her fingers through his wild hair, until she got stuck. “Oh my God, you still have flour in your hair... and I think some of the batter. How'd you manage that?”

 

“Hm.” he grunted around her nipple and shrugged his broad shoulders.

 

“Take a shower. Now.” Teddy pulled his head up with a laugh. “I don't want that mess all over the sheets. I just changed them earlier.”

 

“You're no fun at all.” he grumbled good-naturedly, but he complied with her request. “Be right back.”

 

“Can I watch?”

 

“Why don't ya join me?”

 

“Because I was under there less than an hour ago already. But I'd reeeeaaally like to look at you for a couple of minutes. You're so gorgeous, baby.” Daryl still blushed when she complimented him. It was the most endearing thing in the world to her.

 

He was blushing right now, too. But he tried to distract her from noticing, so he quickly grabbed her ankle and pulled her across the bed with one quick yank. She would get her wish. How could he ever deny her anything, when she said things like that? It never got old,. Just like the hunger in her eyes, when she was in a mood and saw him naked never got old. Another thing that never got old? Seeing  ** her ** naked. While he had dragged her across the bed, her sexy, little nightgown had ridden up, revealing her bare pussy to him. 

 

“Good thing I didn't know you were completely naked under there...” His slightly calloused hands ran up the inside of her thighs, parting them before he knelt back on the bed, leaned down and kissed her slit. “Wanna play?” he asked, referring to their more “extreme” activities in the bedroom.

 

“Not tonight.” Teddy slightly shook her head, before she accepted a soft kiss on the lips. “Tonight I want some good old-fashioned loving from the greatest husband in the world. And before you ask, you damn well know that I mean you, you dork.”

 

“Careful, darlin'... or you'll be in for a spanking after all.”

 

“I'll be good. Promise.” she smiled.

 

“Good. Alright, let's get this show on the road.” Daryl said and scooted backwards, to get off the bed. Somehow he misjudged how much of the bed was left and instead of another bit of mattress, his knee hit air. Teddy and Daryl both acted on instinct, and before he was able to crash to the floor, Teddy grabbed him and let herself fall back on the bed, while Daryl threw himself forward with a bit too much force. His forehead slammed against her mouth, making her cry out when she felt her upper lip getting squashed painfully against her teeth. She quickly put her hand up to cover her lips as she grunted quietly in pain. “Shit... Are you okay?” Daryl looked up at her in concern, but Teddy didn't answer. She was trying to take deep breaths through her nose in order to breathe through the pain. She was surprised by how much it hurt, because she wasn't a pussy where pain was concerned. “Your eyes are waterin'... Damn... that bad? Lemme see! Teddy, lemme see.”

 

“Guess I got my punishment for calling you a dork after all...” she mumbled from behind her hand.”

 

“Show me, come on.” Daryl felt bad. He had barely felt anything when he had hit her, but she didn't seem to be so lucky. He finally got her hand pried away from her mouth and inspected it closely. “Shit. It's swellin' up.”

 

“Yeah, feels like it.”

 

“It's bruised, too. Dark, red spot on your lip. Fuck, I'm so sorry.” Daryl looked and felt miserable.

 

“It wasn't your fault. Shit happens.” Teddy laughed a little, when the pain started to dissipate, but she winced, when smiling hurt the fresh bruise. “Love hurts.” she added and kissed him carefully. “Man, you have a hard head... but I'll live. Now let's get into that bathroom. A little bruise can't stop us, hm?”

 

“Sure?”

 

“Yes. Go.” she reassured him and crawled off the bed. “Come on.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him into their bathroom, before they would waste even more of their precious time together.

* * *

Teddy bit her bottom lip, ignoring the stab of pain it brought her, because of the fresh bruise on her upper lip, as she stared at her naked, wet husband, completely mesmerized. He was truly magnificent. Meaty, lean and muscled, all in the right places. She watched the water glide down his flawless skin, watched the muscles ripple and the tattoo on his back move, when he washed his wild, dark head of hair. Her gaze slipped down to his small, pale ass, watching rivulets of water flow down his crack. It made her itch to go over there and kiss and bite his flesh, which was soft and firm at the same time.

 

She couldn't wait to give him pleasure tonight...  _ Pfff, who am I kidding? I can't ever wait to give him pleasure. The sounds he makes... the way his body twitches and moves when I suck him off, the way his hands grip me so much harder when he's close to cumming... Fuck, baby...  _ Teddy's right hand slipped underneath her own nightie. She slowly rubbed her clit back and forth while she watched him wash himself. When his hand slipped down to his package, Daryl's glance slid over to where Teddy was perched on the toilet. He groaned, and felt his cock jump against his palm, when he noticed her touching herself.

 

“Better hurry up, hm?” he smirked.

 

“Don't worry, Daryl.” Teddy drawled lazily. “I have plans for you. You'll get yours, before I get mine tonight.”

 

That only made him hurry up for real. Within a handful of minutes, he was done with his shower and dried off, letting himself be pushed back to the bed by his aroused wife.

* * *

Her tongue was driving him crazy. He didn't know how he was able to keep from cumming, but apparently, his willpower was stronger than he'd thought. He only wanted to cum inside of her. He didn't want any load of his to go to waste until she was officially pregnant.

 

She was taking her sweet damn time. She had kissed and caressed his entire body, from head to toe by now. Now, she was teasing him with long, slow licks along his cock, while her hands stroked up and down the insides of his thighs. Sometimes, she let her nails rake down that same path, making him shudder and squirm. He made the sexiest little noises in the back of his throat as her tongue slid lower and lower, and then, slowly circled his puckered hole. It had taken him weeks to get comfortable with that. Not because it had felt bad, it felt fucking amazing, but because he'd heard Merle's voice in his head, telling him that he was a fucking queer pussy for liking that shit. Over time Teddy had been able to soothe his anxiety about it, and now he was able to lay back and enjoy it. He groaned when she languidly licked his perineum, all the way up to his balls, where she sucked one into her mouth and massaged it with her tongue.

 

“Good fucking God, babe...” His hands were in her hair, gripping tightly, and now, his right leg, which had hung over the edge of the bed, with the foot on the floor, was hooking over her shoulder, much like hers was always resting on his shoulder, when he was going down on her. The heel of his foot pressed into her back, right next to her spine, pulling her closer. “Mmmmm, fuck. Shit, don't make me cum, girl. Goddamn, you're so good at this. Oooohhh shhhhiiit...” he hissed the last part when finally sucked the wide tip into her mouth. She only sucked on him for a moment though, because it hurt her lip too much. Instead, she went back to teasing him with her tongue and worked all his hot spots with it. She let it swirl around his tip, let it flutter around the coronal ridge, before she flicked it against his frenulum, repeatedly. She could never get enough of the sounds she was able to draw from deep within him, when she pleasured him with her mouth. She was addicted to it, which was why she let out a frustrated little noise, when, with every ounce of self-control he possessed, Daryl stopped her, when he felt the all too familiar tingling in his balls. “Stop, darlin'. Gotta hit the pause button for a moment.” he was panting like he'd run a marathon.

 

“Sure?” Teddy pouted as she removed his leg from her shoulder.

 

“Yeah. Wanna be inside of ya... Tryin' ta make a baby, remember?”

 

“I do. Want some wine?”

 

“Nah, but water.”

 

“I'll be right back.”

 

Good. That would give him a chance to calm down a little. When Teddy returned, he gratefully accepted the bottled water, which he gulped down at least half of. Teddy had brought herself a glass of red wine, but the glass wasn't even half-filled. A couple of sips here and there were enough for her these days.

 

Daryl was done with his water for now and rolled to his side, pressing himself flush against his wife. He nuzzled her shoulder, as she was slightly propped up against the pillows by the headboard. His hand lazily drifted up her leg, squeezing the soft flesh of her inner thigh, before his fingertips were met by her slickness. “Mmmm...” Daryl breathed appreciatively against her shoulder. Knowing that giving him head made her this wet, was a man's dreams come true. He knew he was more than just a little lucky, which was why he never took it for granted. He dipped two fingertips into her heat, coating them with her juices, which made Teddy hold her breath in anticipation. She released that breath with a moan, when his well-lubricated fingers slid up to her clit. Daryl felt that it wasn't swollen yet, so he started out slow, to coax it “awake”. Long, soft strokes up and down, then a couple of circles all around it, then back to up and down, before he stopped for a bit and gently rubbed his strong fingers over her labia, before he started up again.

 

Teddy had her eyes closed, with her wine glass still in her hand, still taking little sips in between, until he hit a particularly good spot. She knew that most women would call her crazy (Maggie and Beth were doing that), but she preferred having Daryl finger her over having him eat her out, although he was skilled at both. Teddy preferred his fingers. She loved feeling them deep inside of her,... loved feeling them tease her g-spot, loved the various amounts of pressure and friction they were able to give her. Also, she simply had a huge thing for his hands.

 

“Oooh... yes... that's so good, baby.” she moaned quietly when he found a spot that made heat spread throughout her entire pussy.

 

“Yeah? Ya like that, darlin'? That feel good?”

 

“So good.” Teddy replied under her breath. “Right there, don't stop. No, don't go faster. Just like this.”

 

Sometimes it unnerved Daryl, how calm she was when he pleasured her with his fingers. Meaning, that her breathing remained completely normal and that her body didn't squirm and writhe. But he had learned, that, when this happened, she often had the hardest orgasms. She barely made a sound for a long while and then, suddenly, she would go from 0 to 100 in two seconds and cum like crazy. That seemed to be the case tonight, and a smirk broke out on his face, when he realized that. He loved seeing her like that.

 

“Put the glass down, Teddy.” Daryl told her, when he noticed that she was starting to lose herself in the moment. Her breathing was starting to pick up, and the glass was dangerously close to tilting to the side and spill the remaining wine all over them.

 

Teddy listened and blindly set it down on the nightstand. “Don't go faster, please, don't go faster,... just like this, baby, please.” she was panting now and her right hand slid all over the sheets, seeking purchase, as an intense orgasm started to build very quickly. Her left hand was holding on to the biceps of the arm he was working her with, and Daryl knew, that he was in for some new scratches, when he noticed that her feet were starting to twitch uncontrollably.

 

“Shit, that's it, sweetheart. So fucking beautiful, Teddy. Come on, darlin'.” he was tempted to rub her faster, because right now, he was barely even moving his middle finger. It was rubbing teeny tiny circles on the right side of her clit, but it seemed to be more than enough for her.

 

“Oh God... oh Daryl... ohGodohGodohG-” A shout forced its way out of her mouth, interrupting her chanting, as the heat and sharp, almost burning, tingling sensation in her clit had gotten so intense, that it had turned into a sweet, sweet, torturous tension, that was now snapping with a force, that left her breathless and had her digging her fingers into the mattress and Daryl's arm. She might have been calm before, but now her body was twitching just as uncontrollably as her feet, and she was panting and moaning, as the waves of pleasure rolled through her body. “Oh fuck... oh fuck, baby... oh fuck... oh fuck... oh fuck...” It had been a really good one, and her mind was blown for the time being.

 

Daryl was grinning proudly and pressed his lips against her cheek for a long moment. “Love ya.” he whispered, before he maneuvered himself between her legs and slowly pushed his straining erection into her still slightly convulsing pussy. He shuddered and let his eyes fall close, as he let himself enjoy it for a moment, until it was over, and she was squeezing him on purpose. “Cut it out.” he admonished her with a laugh, then he pushed his arms underneath her light form, gathering her up in his arms, while Teddy slung her legs around his hips. They were as close as two people could possibly be without melting into each other completely. Daryl rested his forehead against hers as he slowly thrust in and out of her. They looked into each others eyes, shared passionate and loving kisses, and Teddy caressed his sides and back, wherever she was able to reach, while they made love. “Think it'll happen tonight?” Daryl asked under labored breath.

 

“We'll have to wait and see.” Teddy smiled. “If so, better enjoy it. You know how it was last time. I didn't want you to touch me until I had reached the second trimester.”

 

“Shit, I forgot about that.” he felt a pang of guilt. She had felt so shitty the first couple of months. Hell, he had thought she was dying, for crying out loud. So pale, so thin and in so much pain... Now, she was willing to do it all again, for him and for their family. It choked him up a little. “Fuck, Teddy. I love you so damn much, girl. So fucking much.”

 

“Same here. Love you, too. You'll never know how much.” she smiled, as she got misty-eyed herself. Daryl quickly kissed her, before they would both start bawling in the middle of their lovemaking. He held her even tighter, as his tongue plundered her mouth. The kiss soon went from intense and emotional to sexy and heated. It was all so intense, that Teddy happily ignored the pain in her lip, while their tongues swirled around one another. She heard him groan into the kiss, and at the same time, she felt him speed up his thrusts. He tore his mouth away from hers and went back to resting his forehead against hers, as he stared into her eyes. His hips started pumping into her faster and faster, and Teddy enjoyed the telltale little grunts and whimpers that came out of him as he crashed towards completion.

 

“Yes.... oh God... Teddy... oh... oh... ooohhhhhhh sssshhhiiiit yessssss...” Daryl hissed and groaned as his eyes squeezed shut and his lips pulled back in a snarl, when his climax hit. He was shaking, and Teddy quickly freed her arms and wrapped him up in her embrace as best as she could, while he delivered a couple more thrusts, spilling himself inside of her completely. He slumped against her and hid his face in the crook of her neck, snuggling into her as his body started to calm and cool down.

 

Teddy reached over and pulled the covers up to Daryl's shoulders, providing them both with warmth for their cooling bodies, while they recovered from their union. She gently traced her fingers along his scars, relaxing him and slowly lulling him to sleep. “Roll over.” she gently whispered into his hair, before he would completely fall asleep. Daryl complied, but instead of assuming their usual position, tonight was one of the rare times, that he wanted her closer when he fell asleep. He pushed at her, making her roll on her side, too, and then he spooned her from behind. “Pretty sure we made a baby...” he muttered half-asleep, probably not even aware that he had.

 

Teddy laughed quietly, pretty sure that it wouldn't happen this quickly. “We'll see. Good night, my love.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Thoughts? I'm dying to hear them, as usual:)
> 
> About what Teddy said about her relationship with Kenzie. I imagine it might raise some eyebrows. Some of you might not be able to understand and think of her as a bad mother. She is not, though. Mother-daughter relationships can be very difficult right off the bat, and not because the mothers don't love their children. Just like there are girls, who get along better with boys, there are mothers, who get along better with sons. Of course there are mothers who get along better with daughters, etc. I'm not saying that all relationships are like that. But it happens, and there is often not much parents and children can do about it. For example, I don't get along with little girls at all, lol. I'm insanely happy I have a boy, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have loved a daughter the same way I love him. Just wanted to mention that.


	48. Chapter 48

Daryl yawned as he gently traced the tip of his middle finger down Teddy's spine. “We need to get up, darlin'.”

 

“Five more minutes.” came the muffled, grumbled reply from where her face was buried in the junction between Daryl's wonderfully broad shoulder and his strong neck.

 

“We've been sayin' that for fifteen minutes. We gotta go or Turtle's gonna be late for school.”

 

“Mmmmmmm...” Teddy grumbled in frustration as she snuggled herself even closer to her husband's warm body. She was so tired, it wasn't even funny. But she wasn't surprised. Seasons were changing, summer was turning into autumn and Teddy's always been a person who was sensitive to changes in the weather. The older she got, the more she found herself suffering from it.

 

Daryl peered down at the mop of dark, wild and wavy hair, and gently tousled it some more. “Come on, ya gotta wake up, Teddy. You can stay here a bit longer, Imma get ya coffee, but ya gotta wake up.” As if to emphasize his point, the snooze function on Teddy's phone made the alarm go off again, just as he spoke the last words. “See? It's time.” Daryl reached over to grab the phone and turn off the alarm. Once he had deactivated it, a message on her lock screen grabbed his attention.

 

_Period tracker_

“ _Your next cycle seems to be late.”_

 

Daryl's heart stopped beating for a moment as the happy surprise invaded his system. They had been trying for a baby for two months and now her cycle was late. To him, that could only mean one thing. She had to be pregnant. He stared at the message a bit longer, not even realizing that a big smile had broken out on his face. He kept pushing the button to keep the screen activated, so he would be able to look at that glorious message a moment longer. “Darlin'?” Daryl couldn't wait to tell Teddy, but out of nowhere, a (probably) crazy idea popped into his head. _What if this time_ _ **I**_ _could be the one to tell_ _ **her**_ _that I knocked her up? All I need is ta get a test and hijack her pee._ Before Teddy even reacted to him calling out to her again, Daryl quickly unlocked the screen and made the message disappear. He already knew how to get a sample. It would only take a little bit of planning. Most of the time, Teddy was the first one out of bed and getting breakfast ready, but sometimes, Daryl got up first and went to the bathroom to relieve himself and then he went straight into the shower. Teddy always had to pee first thing in the morning, too, and when she did that while he was in the shower, she didn't flush, so Daryl wouldn't be hit with a bucket of ice water. _Hm, what if the water in the toilet dilutes the sample? Gotta find some kinda container to put in there. She's still half asleep when she pees in the morning anyway. Prolly wouldn't notice a thing. And if she does, I'll blame it on the kids... Gotta make sure to make Billy visit with the family the night before, then. Gotta buy a dropper, in case the container thing don't work, and some tests. Gonna do that later on my break. Shit... I hope it works._

 

With the big smile still intact, Daryl carefully slid out from under Teddy and pressed a kiss to the mess on top of her head. “You take another thirty minutes. Imma make breakfast and get her ready for school.”

 

“Thanks, babe.” Teddy sighed much less grumpily, and quickly slid into the warm spot her husband had just occupied. 

 

“Anything for you, Momma.” he grinned happily, easily dodging the swat he had known was coming.

 

“Don't call me that. I'm not your momma.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” he chuckled on his way to the bathroom. _But you're the momma of our new baby. Man, I can't fucking wait._

* * *

“Momma, you look like Merida!” Kenzie giggled when she saw her mother trudging through the kitchen with her eyes barely open. Suddenly the little girl inhaled sharply and her voice took on an astonished tone. “And you're good with a bow and arrow!”

 

“Ain't just good. She's awesome.” Daryl interjected proudly. Watching Teddy hunt with him never failed to turn him on **and** make him fall in love with her all over again. Granted, he was exaggerating, she was good, but certainly not the best, but to him she would always be the most awesome girl in the world, in pretty much all aspects of life. Especially today.

 

Teddy sent him a tired smile over her shoulder while she filled up her glass with water. 

 

“But your hair isn't red.” Kenzie frowned, before she inhaled sharply again and started whispering. “Are you undercover?”

 

“If I would tell you, I wouldn't really be undercover anymore, now would I?” Teddy smirked.

 

Daryl had to chuckle at the conversation. “Have ya heard your momma's Scottish accent, Turtle? Sounds like a horse that's throwing up.”

 

Teddy arched her eyebrow at her chipper husband. “Horses can't throw up.”

 

“Exactly.” Daryl nodded. “Just like you can't speak in a Scottish accent.”

 

“But Momma has a funny accent.” Kenzie giggled.

 

“Oh Lord, not you, too.” Teddy groaned.

 

“Ain't Scottish, though. It's New York, where Momma used ta live, before she came here.”

 

“Well, just so you know, to me, the both of you have a funny accent, too.” Teddy stated and stuck her tongue out at her family.

 

“Momma, you're a naughty girl.” Kenzie mock-scolded her mother, but the words caused Daryl to send Teddy a knowing look.

 

“You have no idea, Turtle.” he smirked. 

 

Teddy huffed out a little laugh, while she lifted Kenzie's long dark hair away from her neck, and quickly pressed her lips against the nape of her daughter's neck and blew, producing a long, loud farting noise, which had Kenzie in stitches.

 

“Eat your breakfast, Poopy. We have to leave soon.” Teddy tickled Kenzie's ribs, then she gave Daryl a quick kiss on the lips on her way back to the bedroom. She had to get dressed so she would be able to take Kenzie to school on time.

* * *

Billy noticed that his brother-in-law seemed upbeat, but quite distracted that morning at work. He asked Daryl several times what was going on, with a suspicious look on his face, but Daryl knew better than to let Billy in on the secret. Billy was a blabbermouth, especially where his twin sister was concerned. Daryl already was half-afraid that Billy was once again “feeling it” or “just knowing it”, like he had known the last time, when even Teddy and Daryl hadn't known. He hoped that that had just been a one time freak thing, and that Billy wouldn't find out and go blabbing to his sister, before Daryl was able to take the tests. 

 

When Billy kept looking at him weird, like he was trying to guess Daryl's secret, Daryl grew a little panicked. The man was smart, so what if he was able to figure it out by Daryl's behavior this morning? Daryl knew he had to throw Billy off his trail. He hated lying and he hated this kind of talk, but he desperately needed to take Billy's mind off of this. “Just was a good mornin'... Ya really wanna hear the details? It's yer damn sister we're talking about.”

 

“Urgh, yeah okay. Already more than I need to know. But good for you, man... a little morning action is the best. Rare to get with the kids around, so congrats.”

 

Daryl didn't have to fake the blush that crept into his cheeks. He really hated talking about this to other people, even though he hadn't even talked about it. Billy had simply jumped to conclusions. For once he was happy about that, though, because Billy finally left him alone. 

 

During lunch Daryl took a trip to Rite Aid to get the items he needed. He got a box of Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Tests, which were pretty foolproof. The results would clearly be stated in the words “pregnant” or “not pregnant”. No chance of misreading it there. He bought a box of 3, then grabbed another pink box with 2 Early Results Pregnancy Tests. The results would be displayed in the common line system. One line would mean not pregnant and two lines would mean pregnant. Daryl already memorized that information on the way to the register. The woman behind it rang up his purchases, and since Daryl's mouth was curved in a little, crooked smile while he looked at the boxes, she took a chance and wished him good luck. 

 

That irritated him a little, but he still sent the woman a small nod before he grabbed the bag and left the store. Back in the car, he drummed his thumbs against the steering wheel in a fast rhythm while he drove back to work. He was so nervous it was ridiculous. He couldn't wait to take those tests, he couldn't wait to surprise her with the results... Unless they turned out to be negative. But the upside would be, that he wouldn't have to see the disappointed look on Teddy's face when she found out she wasn't pregnant. She always felt like she was letting them both down. So if they did turn out to be negative, he'd just quietly let the tests disappear and try again next month. 

 

He also knew that he had to act fast, before Teddy would pick up on the symptoms and would take a test herself. The best would be for him to do it tomorrow morning, but that would mean Billy, Maggie and the kids would have to come over tonight, on pretty short notice... They hadn't done that in a long time, so it might arouse suspicion. And with Teddy so tired, he wouldn't be doing her any favors. But then again, with Teddy so tired, chances were that she wouldn't bother to check the toilet for hidden containers. He would have to take his chances. 

 

But then, something funny happened.

 

Daryl was just backing the truck back into his parking spot at work, when his conscience suddenly made itself known. Yeah, it would be real exciting for him, as the man, to tell his wife that they were having another baby... but on the other hand, this was the wife's moment. Teddy would be doing all the work for them again, wouldn't it be kind of crappy for him to steal her thunder like this? On the one hand, it wouldn't be much of a surprise for him anymore, anyway, but still... he suddenly felt like he shouldn't take this away from Teddy. It should be her news to tell, or at the very least, they should find out together. They took the last test together... And on second thought, stealing her pee might be a bit too creepy. He probably should have realized that sooner, but he had been way to overjoyed upon reading the message from her period tracker app.

 

He gave up on his plan. They always did everything together and this, especially this, should be no different.

 

So that night when he came home from work, Teddy immediately noticed the guilty expression on his face. “What's up?” she asked concerned.

 

Before he was able to answer, his daughter came running to greet her daddy. “Daddy, I missed youuuuuu!”

 

“I missed ya, too, Turtle.” he lifted her into his arms and kissed her soft, chubby cheek. “How was school?”

 

Now it was Kenzie's turn to look guilty. Teddy sighed. “She got in trouble. I got called in to meet with her principal.”

 

“What?” Daryl looked at Kenzie disapprovingly. “What did you do?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Don't lie, Kenzie. She got mad at Johnny, because he didn't want to share his crayons... So she slapped him and threw her scissors at him.” Teddy reported in a tired voice, while Daryl wasn't able to believe what he was hearing. “After about half an hour of begging on my side, they let us off with a warning. Next time she's out.”

 

Daryl put Kenzie down and looked at her sternly as he pointed towards her room. “Go. I'll be there in a couple of minutes and then we're gonna have a talk.”

 

“I'm sorry, Daddy.”

 

“Go.” he told her again. When she was out of the room he rubbed his tired face. “What the fuck?”

 

“Well, at least she's getting back to normal.” Teddy snorted sarcastically.

 

“What?”

 

“After the accident she got so quiet and well-behaved, we forgot all about her true nature. She's got a temper, like both of ours combined, and it seems to be back.”

 

“What do we do? Throwin' scissors at her cousin? We can't let that shit fly.”

 

“I know. Maggie was not very happy... understandably.”

 

“Johnny okay?”

 

“Yeah, he's alright. I feel horrible, though. What in the world did we do wrong with her? I never let her get away with her tantrums, but she doesn't even care. She still doesn't care about the consequences. She's getting reckless and we can't let that happen. Throwing scissors... I mean, what's next? Will she jam the crayons into his ears?”

 

“Guess she's got more of Merle's genes than we thought.” Daryl shook his head in a way that indicated that he was a little lost right now. He had no idea how this had happened. They had always made sure to raise their daughter right, with all the important rules and values, but it always seemed to fall on deaf ears. Could this really be coded into a person's genes right from the beginning, without the parents being able to do anything about it?

 

“Kids get angry, that is completely normal. They fight, it happens... But I'm getting the feeling here, that she really wanted to hurt him and that's what's upsetting me the most. She is very advanced for her age, she understands what it means to hurt someone... She gets it, but she doesn't care. She's like a little sociopath.”

 

“Come on, Teddy. Don't exaggerate.”

 

“I'm not. The teacher said that Johnny didn't even raise his voice to her. He only politely told her, that he needed the crayons for himself, and she went berserk on him over literally nothing. Don't defend her, Daryl. You, out of all of us, know what it must have felt like for Johnny. To suddenly have someone you love hurting you for no reason?” Teddy referred to the way his parents had treated him. Daryl averted his gaze as all the feelings from back then hit him. He suddenly realized that Kenzie might not only have inherited the Dixon temper from Merle and himself, but also from their father Will. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

 

“How do we make that clear to her? What that feels like to be on the receiving end?” Daryl asked quietly.

 

“I don't know.” Teddy shrugged. “Daryl, I know you've been fighting me on this for the past two years, but I've told you before and I will tell you again right now, that we need help with this.”

 

“No shrink. She ain't insane.”

 

“Daryl, this doesn't have anything to do with her being insane. But something is obviously up with her. Her reactions are not always normal. She has anger inside of her, and we don't always know where it's coming from. We don't know if it's genetic or if it's a psychological or even a physiological issue. She needs to get checked out by a professional. I'm not a pediatric psychiatrist, this is out of my league, so we need to look for someone. How much more has to happen until you agree that we can't handle this on our own? Until she throws a knife at me, because I won't make her a nutella sandwich before dinner?”

 

“She would never do that.”

 

“She would never to that to **you**. Everybody else is fair game to her. Sometimes it seems like she doesn't care about anyone but you and Merle.” Teddy's voice broke as her emotions finally bubbled up to the surface. 

 

“That ain't true and you know that.”

 

“Do I?”

 

“Come on, not that again. Yeah, ya got no real connection to her, I get it. But you're still her mother and ya don't get to treat her like this, just 'cause she likes me better.”

 

“Treat her like this?” Teddy's eyes grew as wide as saucers as she let out an incredulous laugh. “Are you fucking kidding me, Daryl? So now I'm a bad mother, because I want to get her help?”

 

“She don't need help. Not from some fucking quack.” Daryl raised his voice some more. “She needs some more boundaries, that's it. No TV, no extra treats, no new toys for a while, shit like that.”

 

Teddy actually had to laugh a little at Daryl's opinion. He really thought that no TV would make her not throw scissors at Johnny the next time? “You know what, Daryl? Go ahead. You go and deal with it in whatever way you think is right. I'm out, but I'm telling you this: if she gets kicked out of school,  **you** will stay home with her. And another thing? I am not bringing another child into this world with her being this way. The baby will inevitably get more attention at first, you wanna risk having her hurt it over that?”

 

“She ain't no fucking serial killer, Teddy. The fuck, woman? Ya know what? You never wanted her and it shows. I prolly should have taken her and walked away... Man, you should be ashamed of yourself, talking 'bout your own daughter like that. Yeah, you ain't no better than your own fucked up momma. Ya had that one right.” Daryl grabbed the Rite Aid bag and tossed it at Teddy's feet. “Here. Good luck with not having another baby.” he yelled at her before he left the room to go and deal with Kenzie.

 

Teddy frowned down at the plastic bag, and when she saw a familiar box peek out, she kicked the bag towards the bedroom. She didn't even want to think about another pregnancy right now. They weren't even able to raise one kid right, having another one without the first one getting sorted out would turn into a disaster. 

 

She suddenly felt pretty queasy and decided to get some fresh air outside. The plants needed watering anyway.

* * *

“Mommy is really mad at me.”

 

“Yeah, I know. I'm mad, too, ya know? Johnny never did anything to you, Turtle. You prolly don't remember, but he always loved ya like crazy. Spent half his life hugging and kissin' on you. Why'd you hurt him?”

 

“I wanted the crayons and he didn't give them to me.” Kenzie replied like it was the most logical thing in the world.

 

“That ain't no reason to hurt your cousin. That ain't a reason to hurt anyone, ya hear?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“How would you feel if Johnny would throw things at you?”

 

“I throw things back at him.”

 

“No. Turtle, ya gotta stop with that. Why you getting so mad?”

 

Kenzie didn't get to reply, because a panicked scream interrupted their talk.

 

“ **DARYL!!!!!!!”** Teddy's anguished scream made Daryl's blood run cold. He had never heard her sound like that.

 

“Stay here.” he ordered Kenzie. “You don't come out until I get you, ya hear?”

 

Kenzie nodded as she picked up on a panicked vibe from her father. 

 

Daryl bolted from the room and slammed the door shut behind him. He felt his heart pounding up all the way to his throat.  _ Jesus Christ, what now? Please just let it be a fucking spider or something,  _ he thought as he ran into their backyard with a very sick feeling in his stomach.

 

How could a day, that had started out so well, turn to shit so very quickly? To this day, he was still amazed by how these things happened. 

 

Unfortunately, what he found in the garden, was not Teddy being scared of a spider. It was so very, very much worse than that.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

 

**Let the guessing begin. Sorry, I'm in a really dark place right now and as usual, it shows in my writing.**

 

**Let me know what you think.**


	49. Chapter 49

Daryl came to an abrupt halt when he spotted his wife, who sat in the grass about ten feet away from where he stood now. Everything slowed down as his brain was processing what his eyes were seeing. Just two seconds later Daryl would wish for that short moment of ignorance back. All too soon realization crashed down on him, which made the air whoosh out of his lungs as his heart got squeezed in an iron grip. Tears welled up in his eyes and immediately spilled over as a helpless sob forced itself out of his mouth. “No...” he wailed miserably as he watched Teddy sob over Roxie's lifeless body.

 

“She's gone.” Teddy hiccuped. “Our first baby girl...” she wasn't able to keep talking, the sobs were coming out in fast succession, making her slight frame shake hard. What she would have said was nothing Daryl didn't know anyway. He was thinking about all the same things she was. About how she had given him Roxie for his birthday, the first one they had celebrated together. How they had both been so happy about having her with them. About how proud they had been about her progress in obedience school, how proudly they had looked at pictures only to realize how much she had grown... just like they always did with Kenzie. Roxie had been their little girl, just as much as Kenzie was. Roxie had accompanied them throughout pretty much their entire time of being together. She had been the first real step in making things officially serious and in starting to form a family... and now she was gone. Just like that.

 

Daryl couldn't bring himself to walk over there, where Teddy had the dog's big head in her lap and kept stroking over her neck. He sank to the ground where he stood and quietly cried into his hands. Hearing and seeing her husband weep in grief, seeing his strong shoulders slumped and wracked by sobs made Teddy cry even harder. Neither of them said anything for a long while, neither of them was able to. They simply took the moment to cry and let themselves feel the profound loss that had happened so out of the blue. The frustration about what was happening with Kenzie was mixed into their tears as well. When it rains, it really fucking pours.

 

“Thought we'd be safe for at least another year.” Daryl sniffed when he started to calm down.

 

“Yeah... me, too.” Teddy cried.

 

Hershel had told them years ago that big dogs like Great Danes didn't have a high life expectancy. The average seemed to be six years, while some lucky ones turned eight and older. A lot of them had bad hearts, but Roxie, who was five and a half years old, had been fine so far. Apparently that hadn't been a guarantee for a longer life, though.

 

“At least it was quick.” Daryl knew it must have been, because he had seen her walking around outside when he had sent Kenzie to her room.

 

“Probably a heart attack or a stroke.” Teddy sighed shakily. “Hershel could find out.”

 

“Nah... she's gone. Let her rest. No sense in cuttin' her open.” Daryl released an equally shaky sigh when two more tears spilled out of his eyes. “Won't bring her back.” Daryl rubbed his eyes before he scoffed. “She was out here dyin' all alone, while we had nothin' better to do than fight over fucking shrinks.”

 

“I know. What do we do?”

 

“We bury her. Here. We pick a tree closest to the sundeck, so she's still close around.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Daryl forced himself to get up and go to the carport to get a shovel, some rope and one of the extra tarps they usually used to cover things like Kenzie's sandbox or the hot tub. With the heaviest heart he walked back to Teddy and Roxie, and spread the tarp out on the ground.

 

Teddy shook her head. “We can't do that yet. It's all way too fast.”

 

“It's gotta be done now. Ya want her to rot out here? Ya want Turtle ta see her like this?”

 

“No. You're right.” Teddy agreed, but boy, it was hard to let go. “Oh baby...” she started crying harder again, when she played with one of Roxie's soft, floppy ears.

 

“You gotta go inside.” Daryl told her. “Can't leave Little Turtle in there by herself much longer.”

 

Daryl proceeded to carefully lift Roxie into his arms. He was grunting and his muscles strained, it wasn't an easy feat with her size and weight, but he managed. Bile started rising in his throat when he felt how limp she was.

 

“I'll call Merle and Billy to help you dig.”

 

“No.” Daryl stated forcefully. “She's mine. Imma do this myself.”

 

“You shouldn't do that. It will take you hours.”

 

“Don't care. I gotta do this... On my own.” the way he said it told her, that he didn't even want her by his side while he would bury his beloved pet.

 

“Fine.” Teddy sniffed. One last time she cradled Roxie's head in her hands and kissed the broad forehead. “Goodbye my love. Thank you for everything.” Teddy went inside and left Daryl be. She quickly drew the curtains close inside, so Kenzie wouldn't see what was going on outside. She splashed some water in her face, knowing it wouldn't do much to hide the traces the tears had left. It didn't matter anyway, because she knew she would start crying in a minute again anyway. “Baby?” she opened the door to Kenzie's room.

 

“What's going on, Momma? Why did you scream so loud?”

 

“Something happened, sweetie. Something very sad.”

 

Kenzie's little forehead crinkled while she frowned. “What?”

 

“Honey... Do you remember what happened to Johnny's pony?”

 

“It got sick and went to heaven?”

 

“Yes.” Teddy swallowed hard. She felt like she was on the verge of suffocating from the sobs that she was trying to hold in. “Kenzie,... Roxie died and went to heaven.”

 

Kenzie frowned even more. “But she's outside. I just played with her.”

 

“I know. It happened very quickly, sweetie. I'm sorry.”

 

“Is she coming back from heaven?”

 

“No, I'm afraid not. She is where Milo is now, baby.”

 

“Oh... she's playing with the angels now?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Is she playing with Milo, too?”

 

“I'm sure she is.”

 

“Maybe he needed her and called her. She always comes when you call her.” Kenzie assumed.

 

“She did, that's right. But she's not gonna come anymore when we call her. Do you understand?”

 

“Oh...” Kenzie released a little sad sigh. “Okay.”

 

Teddy felt like she was slowly dying on the inside. Tears were rolling down her face in a steady stream. She could tell that Kenzie understood what was going on, but that she didn't understand what that would mean for the future. It would surely sink in over the next couple of days, when there would be no Roxie to come running and lick her face and watch over her while she played outside.

 

“Where is Daddy?”

 

“Daddy is making sure that Roxie has a safe journey. You'll see him tomorrow morning.”

 

“Can I go and help?”

 

“No, you can't. This is something Daddy wants to do alone. Tomorrow we will all say goodbye to Roxie together, yeah?”

 

“But she's already gone. How do we do that?”

 

“There's a place where we can go. You'll see tomorrow, I promise.”

 

“Okay. Don't cry, Mommy. It's all good. She's with Milo.”

 

“I know, baby. I'm just sad that we won't see her anymore.”

 

“But we have pictures.”

 

“Right... Come on. Ready for dinner?” Teddy knew that she wouldn't get much further with Kenzie in this moment.

 

“Yes.” Kenzie nodded and proceeded to put her dolls away before she headed to the kitchen with her mother.

* * *

It took Daryl hours to bury Roxie, but he was glad that he had done it on his own. It had been the last thing he had been able to do for her, to make sure she was close to her family. He had buried her favorite blanket and her toys with her. He didn't see the sense in keeping it around. This way, she had it with her. The whole thing had been physically and mentally hard, but it had felt cathartic, too. It was done. Tomorrow was a new day, and as hard as it was, he knew they had to move on, because they still had some more things to worry about and to figure out, like the mess with Kenzie, and Teddy possibly being pregnant. While he had been digging he had realized that his wife had been right. Kenzie wasn't overly remorseful, nor had she ever been when she had done something wrong. He still thought that Teddy was exaggerating with the whole sociopath thing though, because Kenzie wasn't cold-hearted or cold-blooded or whatever you wanted to call it. Maybe she was just a brat, despite their best efforts, but Teddy was right. It probably wouldn't hurt to check. What if she was sick and this was just a symptom? He had watched enough medical shows with Teddy to know that it was a possibility. He just hadn't wanted to admit to himself that their daughter might not be the perfect little angel he had always imagined her (or wanted her) to be. Part of that was due to the fact that he very rarely got to see this side to Kenzie, because when he was around, she tended to be way more well-behaved than when she was with Teddy. Those two kept clashing and maybe that was already the answer to the problem, but still, Daryl knew that he had to accept that Teddy knew this stuff better, so he would have to trust her instincts and let her get Kenzie some help.

 

_My 4 year old daughter might need a shrink._ That thought didn't sit right with him, though. He couldn't help but feel like that would be all on him and his fucked up genes, if she did end up needing one. Maybe Teddy was right with the other matter as well. Maybe they shouldn't have another baby... but as soon as he thought that, he knew he wasn't ready to let go of that dream.  _Fuck that. I want another goddamn kid. If it happens again, the next one's gon' get help right away. Ain't gon' be a stubborn fuck about this shit no more. Ain't helpin' no one._

 

With much care Daryl carved Roxie's name into the tree under which he had buried her. It made him think of Teddy's tattoo. She had a black tree tattooed on the inside of her right wrist, with Milo's name under it. He felt the urge to get a matching one, with Roxie's name. His left wrist was still free. But if he got something for his dead dog, he wanted something to celebrate his living daughter as well. And maybe he would get a tattoo on is ring finger for Teddy. He always felt so naked when he took off his wedding ring for work due to safety requirements. Daryl spent a long time sitting next to Roxie's grave in the dark, thinking about what tattoos he wanted to get, before he finally slipped into bed next to Teddy in the middle of the night.

 

“Take her to someone...” he muttered as he spooned his wife, wrapping his arms around her body as tightly as possible. “She'd do it again. I ain't able ta make her understand what she's doin'.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“I'm sorry 'bout what I said.”

 

“So am I. She's not a sociopath or a serial killer. Didn't mean it like that.” Teddy explained quietly as she turned on her back so she'd be able to look at him in the bright moonlight.

 

“I know. Was all the heat of the moment.” Daryl rasped against Teddy's cheek. “Let's just move on.”

 

“Okay.” Teddy nodded and accepted a gentle kiss from him. “You had that look on your face when you came home... Something happen at work?”

 

“Nah... I did something this morning.”

 

“What?”

 

“When I turned off your alarm? There was a message from your period tracker.”

 

“Ah,... I'm late?” Teddy put two and two together.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“That why you bought the pregnancy tests?”

 

“Yeah. Wanted to surprise you. Had a plan.”

 

“A plan? What kind of plan?” Now she was curious.

 

“I wanted to be the one to tell you, that you're pregnant. Had a whole plan of stealing your pee and taking the tests in secret and then surprise you with it.”

 

“Stealing my pee? What?” Teddy had to laugh a little.

 

“Yeah. You don't flush when I take a shower. Would have put something in the toilet to get a clean sample.”

 

“Oh my God, you little mastermind... What if I would have noticed?”

 

“Would have said it was the kids... Would have invited Billy and Maggie over with the boys. They always wreak havoc in the house. Wouldn't have been too far out there for them to try to make a bowl float in the crapper.”

 

“Right.”

 

“Decided not to go through with it after lunch. Didn't feel right to take that away from you, you know?”

 

“Good choice. I might have gotten mad, because I love watching the lines show up. That's why I hate the digital ones.”

 

“I got the digital ones.” Daryl laughed a little, too. “But only 'cause ya can't misinterpret them. Got some of 'em line ones, too.”

 

“Ah, perfect.” Teddy smiled, before they fell quiet for a bit. Daryl's hand slid down and gently stroked her belly. Who knew, maybe the next Dixon was already in there? “Remember what my mom always says? About that bullshit balance thing? A new loved one arrives, so another one leaves?”

 

“Always been that way so far.” Daryl swallowed hard when his emotions bubbled back to the surface. Last time it had been Gerald, who had left them. “Prolly not as much bullshit as ya think.”

 

“If she's right again, I might just start to believe.” Teddy mumbled. “I've been so tired. Could be the seasons and the weather changing, but it could also be a new pregnancy. Been pretty sensitive up here the past week.” she pointed towards her breasts. “And up in here, too.” she now pointed to her head.

 

“Let's find out.” Daryl suggested.

 

“Now? Are you sure? Maybe it's not the best time.”

 

“I think there ain't never been a better time.” Daryl said as he got back out of bed. He kept standing in front of it and chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “Dunno...” he shrugged, “maybe if it's positive... maybe we're gon' feel like her death ain't been in vain. Like it had purpose, with the whole balance shit?” he wasn't really a believer, but right now he would try anything to make that hole in his heart hurt a little less. “Let's do it. We ain't gon' be able to sleep anyway.”

 

“You have a point.” Teddy agreed. “Okay... Wait, where are you going?” she frowned when she realized that he wasn't headed to the bathroom.

 

“To get you some water or else you ain't gon' pee until morning.”

 

“No, I'm good. I had a lot of water with dinner. Would have gotten up to go soon anyway. Oh, but a bowl-”

 

“I know. Ya hate tryin' ta hit the stick, ya like to dip. I'm on it.” he winked and made his way into the kitchen. “There ya go.” he handed her a small yellow tupperware bowl a minute later.

 

“Thanks.”

 

They both went into the bathroom, and while Teddy filled up the bowl, Daryl busied himself with opening the boxes and getting the tests ready. “Can I dip one?” he asked with a cute, boyish smile on his face, so Teddy didn't have the heart to say no.

 

“Yeah, sure. We both dip one in at the same time. Wait. Need to get my phone first and set the timer.” Teddy very carefully set the bowl down on the counter and went back into the bedroom to get her phone. “Alright, all set. Here.” she handed Daryl one of the Early Results tests with the line system, while she grabbed the other one. “Okay, we need to dip it in there for five seconds. On three... One, two, three.”

 

They both dipped the sticks into the bowl and Daryl counted out loud. “One... two... three... four...five... and out.”

 

They slipped the plastic cover back on the soaked tips and set the tests down on the counter. Teddy carefully put the bowl out of reach so it wouldn't get knocked over by accident, and started the timer. Then she took Daryl's hand in both of hers and intently stared at the tests. “We want the left line to show up.” she murmured more to herself as she pulled Daryl's hand up to her mouth as she waited with baited breath and watched the control window like a hawk as the liquid passed through that part.

 

“Holy shit... is that...?” Daryl thought he might be seeing things, especially since it had only been seconds instead of minutes.

 

“It is... Oh my God! Daryl!” Teddy inhaled sharply a couple of times and actually bit his hand in a moment of happy brain fart. “Oh my God, look. The line on the left is showing up... the control line isn't even developing yet.”

 

“On the other one, too. Shit, Teddy... That mean, what I think it means?”

 

“Yes.” Teddy's eyes watered as a smile, so big it hurt her face, broke out on her lips. “Oh God, the line is so dark, and look, the control line is only now showing up.” Teddy was slightly bouncing up and down as she squeezed his hand hard, because she didn't know what to do with the joy she felt. “Baby... this is so obvious... I'm so fucking pregnant!”

 

“No way.” Daryl's smile matched her own. “We really did it?”

 

“We sure did.” she laughed happily.

 

“I wanna do the digital ones, too. Come on.” Daryl quickly freed his hand and grabbed the other box containing the three digital tests. They quickly dipped them, and while Teddy cleaned out the bowl, Daryl assembled all five pregnancy tests in a meticulous vertical line. After three minutes, all five tests turned up positive and Daryl practically pounced on his wife. “Fucking love ya so much, girl.” he kissed frantically kissed her face all over.

 

“Geez, with the lines that dark, let's hope it's not twins.” Teddy laughed.

 

“The more, the merrier.” Daryl shrugged with a grin, before he covered her mouth with his and kissed her thoroughly. He backed her up against the wall and hoisted her up so she could wrap her legs around him. “When can we get a picture?”

 

“Depends on how far along I am. I'm guessing about four or five weeks, so it will be another couple of weeks before you can see something. I'm gonna make an appointment with Dr. Hainesworth soon.”

 

“And now that damn waiting begins. Waitin' for the picture, waitin' for you to show and get bigger and bigger, waitin' for the contractions...” Daryl sighed with a smile.

 

“I guess the wait will feel shorter this time around. Our life is much fuller.” Teddy said, which made the smile fade from Daryl's face a little.

 

“Got a little less full tonight.” he mumbled. “I feel so weird, Teddy. I'm so fucking happy and so fucking sad at the same time.”

 

“I know. Me, too.”

 

“I'm sad she'll never get to meet the new baby. Or babies. She loves babies... I knew it was gonna happen soon. Dunno how, but it was in the way she behaved... you could tell things got more difficult. Would've turned six in a couple of months... the clock was ticking...”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“But I didn't think it would be like this. Unexpected. Without a warning... Fuck.” Daryl wasn't able to stop his tears from flowing again as a sob forced its way out of his throat again. “Miss her so much already, Teddy.”

 

“So do I.” Teddy kissed him and gently tugged on his hand to guide him back to bed. “Come on.” 

 

She let Daryl lay down half on top of her, with his face hidden in the crook of her neck. She gently petted his hair and stroked his shuddering back while cried into his wife's neck and let himself be comforted by her. “Did you tell Turtle?” he asked once he had calmed down again.

 

“Yeah. So far she's doing fine with it. She thinks he's playing with Milo and the angels. I think tomorrow night it will really start to sink in for her.”

 

“Fuck. Dunno if I'm ready for that.”

 

“It's gonna be alright.”

 

“Can't believe we're really having another one.” Daryl smiled through his tears as he rubbed over Teddy's abdomen again. “When we gonna tell her?”

 

“Let's give it some time. There's no rush. Let her deal with one thing at a time.”

 

“Yeah. Good idea.” Daryl agreed.

* * *

Daryl had been right. They didn't sleep at all that night, which caused Daryl to call Billy and tell him that he was taking the day off. He needed a day to figure things out at home. Everybody was shocked by Roxie's sudden death, but everybody thought that it had been a blessing that the gentle giant had passed so quickly and without suffering. 

 

Daryl and Teddy took comfort in the fact that they had been able to give Roxie a good life with lots of love, cuddles and special treats. It didn't make the loss hurt any less though, but they were able to move on relatively well. As expected, the dog's death had hit Kenzie eventually after she had realized that Roxie would truly never play and cuddle with her again. She cried inconsolably several times for several days, but after a week it got better again. Snoopy was suffering a lot from the loss of his companion. He refused to eat, and they had to take him to Hershel to get an IV. With Snoopy being 13 years old already, Teddy and Daryl feared that they might lose him over this, as well. 

 

Daryl and Teddy dealt with the worry about their remaining pet in their own way. They tried to make light of the grim situation by saying that, if it was truly Snoopy's time to go, too, then Teddy probably really was carrying twins.

 

“That's really terrifying, don't you think?” Teddy chuckled during a quiet minute at night. “They would outnumber us. We wouldn't stand a chance.”

 

“So what? The way I see it, life's dealt us some really shitty cards here and there, but we always managed. We're still here.” Daryl smiled. 

 

“Are you saying that having twins would be life, dealing us some shitty cards?” Teddy laughed.

 

“Nah, didn't mean shitty. Meant to say challenging.”

 

“Challenging indeed. This year alone made me age five years.”

 

“You're tellin' me. Let's not do that again next year, alright?”

 

“Alright.” Teddy agreed with a laugh and tousled his hair as she watched Daryl nuzzle and kiss her still flat belly. She sighed happily as she closed her eyes and let Daryl soothe the slight stretching pains in her abdomen with his lips. The next little Dixon was on its way and she truly couldn't wait for the adventure that was going to be.

* * *

**Thank you for reading.**

 

**Sorry, but that's the circle of life. However, we are done with the dark, depressing stuff for now. I needed to get it out and I think I feel better now. Sorry that I had to put you guys through these two chapters to get there. Let's have some pregnancy fun from now on, yeah?**


	50. Chapter 50

_They were in the psychiatrists office, sitting side by side in front of the doctor's big desk. Teddy sighed internally when she felt how Daryl closed himself off. Even though he had given her permission to get help for Kenzie, he was still very much against it in general. She understood how he didn't want to admit that their daughter might have a problem, but she was annoyed at his childish behavior and for not taking more of a interest in helping Kenzie._

 

“ _Well, Mrs. Dixon, as you know we talked about the possibility of Kenzie suffering from Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Intermittent Explosive Disorder...”_

 

“ _Yes.”_

 

“ _As you know those kind of disorders are complex, especially in children, because as they continue to grow, their behaviors and disorders tend to change, and therefore it is difficult to properly diagnose a child this young.”_

 

“ _I'm aware of that.”_

 

“ _However, I am fairly positive that Kenzie is suffering from IED, Intermittent Explosive Disorder. I've also noticed some more or less extreme mood swings in your daughter, which surprised me, because you didn't mention that to me when we talked.”_

 

“ _She ain't got mood swings. She's happy.” Daryl grunted while he gave the man behind the desk a hostile glare._

 

“ _Well, I've never really perceived it as mood swings, to be honest.” Teddy frowned as she tried to remember any examples. “She's irritable a lot when we spend time together... I told you before that we don't get along that well. She is happier when her father is home.”_

 

“ _I see. Her teachers have noticed mood swings as well, though, so... Remember that the diagnosis is not set in stone. I haven't spent that much time with her yet, and experts have not yet reached a consensus as to whether children with chronic irritability and clear mood swings, but without mania, should be classified as having bipolar disorder, but-”_

 

“ _Whoa, hold on!” Teddy interrupted the man in shock. “You think she's bipolar?!”_

 

“ _She is displaying some symptoms, yes. And IED often exhibits comorbidity with other mood disorders, particularly bipolar disorder. It is important to know and remember, that bipolar disorder doesn't affect every single child in the same way. The intensity, frequency and duration of a child’s symptoms and the child’s response to treatment vary dramatically. As your child grows up, bipolar disorder may affect the size, shape, and function of brain regions and networks. Very recent research suggests that pediatric bipolar disorder is a neuro-developmental disorder. Parts of the brain mature at different rates and times; brain maturation is not complete until an individual is 25 or so, as you know. Consequently, the symptoms and diagnosis of a psychiatric illness may change as the child grows. Like I said, nothing is set in stone, but we now understand that, both, children and adolescents can have bipolar disorder. Some ill children meet the textbook definition of bipolar disorder, some ill children with severe mood dysregulation might not meet the textbook definition because they don't have distinct episodes of a certain duration or have few clear periods of wellness between episodes. They might have rapid and severe cycling between moods or they might present in a mixed state that produces chronic irritability, like I believe it is the case for your daughter.”_

 

_Daryl had no idea what the the hell the guy was going on about, but he saw tears in Teddy's eyes, and they were clearly not happy ones, and that got him hella worried. “Teddy? The hell is going on?”_

 

_Teddy needed a moment before she was able to answer, her mind was in a huge jumble. “Umm, IED is the thing where her outbursts are grossly disproportionate to the situation. She gets upset and gets nervous and anxious and those outbursts give her a sense of relief. Bipolar disorder means she's manic-depressive. It's a brain disorder that causes mood swings, shifts in energy and the ability to function right.”_

 

“ _I just said, she ain't depressed.” Daryl snarled at the shrink, who had dared to bring tears to his wife's eyes._

 

“ _Children don't necessarily express depression in the same way adults do, Mr. Dixon. Agitation and irritability can be a symptom of depression, which she often exhibits with her mother, if I'm not mistaken. Your wife also tells me that there is often a change in appetite? That can also be a symptom. The described periods of her being a little daredevil can be a symptom of mania, just like inability to stop talking.” The psychiatrist tried to explain, but Daryl wouldn't have any of it._

 

“ _Kids fucking talk, ain't nothin' weird about that.”_

 

“ _I agree, Mr. Dixon. And I want to stress again, that this is still a tentative diagnosis. Like I said it is difficult to diagnose a child this young.”_

 

_Teddy wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath. “If she is bipolar, she will have it for the rest of her life. There is no cure. It means a life full of therapy and medication, so if you don't mind, before we start with any kind of treatment, I would like to get a second opinion. And maybe a third.”_

 

“ _Of course. That's your right and a good idea.” The shrink nodded._

 

“ _We done here?” Daryl asked his wife._

 

“ _I think so, yes.”_

 

“ _Good.” he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the office without another word. “You happy now? Told you this shit was a bad idea. All he did was make ya cry and worry more. I'm tellin' ya, our girl ain't fucking depressed. Maybe she's got that other shit, that explosive disorder shit, but she ain't fucking depressed.” Daryl yelled at Teddy when they were back in the car. He was livid. He never should have let Teddy take Kenzie to that idiot. “Or maybe,” he went on while he sent Teddy a vicious look, “... maybe she just hates her mother.”_

 

Teddy startled awake with a gasp, jostling Daryl awake in the process. “Darlin'?”

 

“Just a dream. Go back to sleep.” she kissed the top of his head, breathing in the comforting scent of his hair for a second, before she settled back down. The vivid pregnancy nightmares, oh how she had not missed those, but she had expected them with the stress they were under right now.

 

It was three weeks after taking the pregnancy tests, and Teddy and Daryl were in the middle of a big week for them. Thankfully through having been a practicing pediatrician herself for years, Teddy had been able to get in touch with some old colleagues, who had referred some good pediatric psychiatrists in her area. Her old mentor from Seattle had been able to get them an appointment with a psychiatrist in Atlanta, who then had “worked” with Kenzie, Teddy and Kenzie's school, to find out how the little girl behaved in general and how those bursts of anger came about. Today Teddy and Daryl had an appointment with the shrink where he would tell them what he thought was wrong with their daughter. Then, in two days, Teddy would have her first appointment with Dr. Hainesworth in Jasper, to confirm the pregnancy.

 

Teddy was super anxious about the talk with the psychiatrist, while Daryl was very apprehensive about going to that shrink's office. He didn't want anything to do with the whole thing, but Teddy had made him get the morning off and accompany her, so he would hear with his own ears, what kind of consequences it could have for a young girl, if this kind of behavior didn't get checked out and treated.

 

So, a couple of hours later, he was sitting next to his wife in the shrink's office, nervously bouncing his knee up and down while he kept nibbling on a torn nail on his thumb, listening to the psychiatrist drone on about things he didn't want to know anything about. He only lifted his eyes from the floor when the shrink said something Daryl had known all along.

 

“Your daughter is fine.” Dr. Holstead smiled, which made Daryl have to fight the urge to give Teddy a big fat “I told you so” in front of the psychiatrist. However, his triumph didn't last long. “I will be very frank here, though, so excuse me, if what I am about to say offends you. Your daughter is one hell of a smart cookie and she is also one hell of a spoiled little girl. She knows exactly what she wants and she knows exactly how to get it, especially from the male figures in her life. You, Mrs. Dixon, put your foot down and don't let her get away with things, whereas your husband and your brother-in-law let her get away with murder from what I've been told.”

 

Daryl didn't say anything, he only let his scowl deepen, while Teddy replied for him. “It used to be that way, but Daryl's gotten better at being stricter with her.”

 

The doctor looked down at his file and read a part of it out loud. “When Mommy is mad at me, Daddy always comes to my room and plays with me.”

 

“I'm just checkin' up on her.” Daryl defended himself this time.

 

The shrink smiled. “But that's not how Kenzie sees it, Mr. Dixon. I talked to Kenzie and I talked to your wife, and it quickly became clear to me, that you don't seem to ever discipline your daughter.”

 

“What's that even mean? Want me to hit her?”

 

“Of course not. There are other ways to discipline a child. Look, you feel attacked right now, I get that. But I want you to know that we are not playing the blame game here. From your wife I know that you and her both have a temper, so it is not unusual for Kenzie to have that. Your wife has been acting much the same way Kenzie does right now, when she was that age and it took drastic measures for your in-laws, to set her and her brother straight again. We wanna avoid a similar situation with your daughter, which is why your wife took action, because history does like to repeat itself. I am not putting blame on either one of you, but both of you have made parenting choices, which haven't been the smartest ones in dealing with your daughter. Mrs. Dixon, you told me that you and Kenzie have been getting into screaming matches pretty much ever since she has been able to talk.”

 

“That's right.”

 

“And that was the exact wrong thing to do. Kenzie, as many other children, love attention. She acted out and after only a couple of times she knew, that she could provoke a reaction in you, and that was fun and exciting for her, so she kept doing it, which made you react more and more and you really got into it and it escalated. And so, a pattern developed, which you two have kept up until now. It's not a healthy pattern and we will have to change that. It is good that you disciplined her and did not let her get away with her tantrums and outbursts, but in the end, it didn't matter. Why? Because Kenzie knew that she had her father on her side.”

 

“No, she didn't.” Daryl argued with a frown.

 

“But you went and played with her. You gave her new toys and pretty dresses, in a way rewarding her for treating her mother badly. That's how it looks to Kenzie. Early on you were never strict with her, so when you started being more stern with her, that didn't even register with her, because she still knew, that Daddy was on her side and was rewarding her for being defiant. Speaking in a stern voice and sending her to her room alone for two minutes, but then going and spending time with her, is not disciplining her, Mr. Dixon. Your behavior sent the wrong signals. For Kenzie it is her and Daddy against Mommy. She is getting everything from Daddy she wants, and often she doesn't even have to ask for it. This has reached a point by now, where it is so completely normal to her to get what she wants, that she doesn't understand why she suddenly can't have what she wants, so her brain reacts with anger and aggression.”

 

“So what you're really sayin', if ya dig through all the bullshit first, is that her behavior is my fault.”

 

“That is not what I tried to say. As I mentioned before, I think some parenting choices weren't the best ones and we should work on that. Mrs. Dixon, the next time Kenzie starts to argue with you, don't even try to get into it with her. Don't give her that attention. Just calmly tell her, that you love her too much to argue. If she starts screaming and yelling, there is something we call 'the energy drain'. You tell her that her behavior is draining all of your energy, so now she will have to do some extra chores and help give Mommy some of her energy back. This has proven to be very efficient, because the children very quickly realize how tiring it is to them, to give energy back to Mommy and Daddy. And really, I can't stress it enough, don't let yourself get dragged into a screaming match anymore. If you feel the temptation to give in, then calmly send her to her room and tell her that she can't come out until she is calm again. And that's where you come in, Mr. Dixon. During that time, you can't go in there and go play with her. That is really sending the wrong signal. Kenzie needs a strong hand, so to speak, and she needs it, not just from your wife, but from the both of you. You need to show her, that you are her parent, too, and not her best friend. I know this is hard, I have a daughter myself, but disciplinary actions need to come from you, too. Your daughter thinks the world of you, Mr. Dixon, and you grounding her or forbidding her from watching TV will not change that. I can promise you that she will not stay mad at you for long. But you need to start supporting your wife where that is concerned. She needs you on her team, because Kenzie already figured out that you are not. You made your wife's life a little bit harder than it had to be and by simply playing bad cop every once in a while, you can help out a great deal. You need to start to let Kenzie feel, that there will be consequences to her actions from you, too. I know the both of you probably think that I am blaming you, but I'm really not. I don't think Kenzie needs therapy. She simply needs more discipline and more consequences. That's what I would like to try for the next couple of months. If things don't get better, or if they get worse, we should reconsider, but for now, I think some adjustments where parenting is concerned will do the trick.”

 

And that was pretty much the end of the visit with the shrink. Back in the car, Teddy sighed. “We did this? Awesome. And now we're having another one to screw up.”

 

“Told you she wasn't insane. Told ya all she needed was some more rules and shit.” Daryl grunted unhappily. He felt great satisfaction that he had been right about that, but of course he was not happy about what the shrink had said. He had made things harder for Teddy, and he really felt ashamed for it. Because he hadn't been man enough to be able to stand having his daughter mad at him, he might have prevented Kenzie and Teddy from ever forming that connection which they were missing. He had to admit that what the guy had said made sense, but he would never admit it out loud. They had both played their parts and contributed to making Kenzie the way she was. Now it was up to them to change it. It was especially up to him. He had to help Teddy out. He just had always been so intent on giving Kenzie a happy childhood, that he hadn't even been aware of the fact that he was going about it the wrong way.

 

“Let's just go home.” Teddy felt exhausted. “I have a client coming in at 11.”

 

“Gonna cut it pretty close.” Daryl informed her after a quick glance at the time.

 

“Better start driving then.” Teddy yawned and closed her eyes. Daryl pulled into traffic and they rode home in silence.

* * *

At night when Kenzie was in bed, and after having had some time to get their thoughts in order, Teddy and Daryl both felt better about everything again. “At least she is not sick, but Daryl, we really have to do something. If we keep going like this, it's only gonna get worse.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Daryl agreed while he played with Teddy's wild hair. They had both put their feet up on their big L-shaped couch, with Teddy's head in his lap, and each of them having a warm blanket covering their legs. “I still don't like the guy, but he was right about something. I ain't been playin' on your team. Thought I was... never intended on not havin' your back... Maybe... I dunno, maybe if I had, I could've helped ya... like, maybe you and Turtle would get along better.”

 

“No, the relationship, or lack thereof, between me and her has nothing to do with you, Daryl. You didn't actively do anything to damage it. She was barely a day old and she was already more attached to you. It was probably an unconscious thing. I was so stressed out and so busy with my own problems... I mean, I was really tense all the time, so she felt safer with you and I maybe unconsciously kept my distance somehow? Emotionally? I don't know how it works, but I know that it's not your fault. You're an amazing father, babe. Too amazing even.” Teddy laughed slightly. “You only want what's best for her and what makes her happy. You make her happy, so you always gave her the gift of not being angry with her.”

 

“Yeah, but that's where I fucked up.”

 

“We both fucked up. I knew I shouldn't yell back at her, but I've always been too weak to keep myself from doing it. I was frustrated and needed the release. That's what she learned from me and used on Johnny, when she didn't get her wish.”

 

“And she knew she'd get away with it, 'cause there wouldn't be any real consequences. And there weren't, 'cause it was the night Roxie died.”

 

“Yeah. Well, it's official. We fucked up, but at least we know and we can change things from here on out. Think we can do that?”

 

“Ain't gonna lie, that shit's gonna be hard, but we'll give it our best shot, right?”

 

“Right.” Teddy smiled, her eyes fluttering shut briefly, when his blunt nails gently scratched her scalp. “How are you feeling, baby? I know what was said hit you hard.” she asked when she opened her eyes again and reached up to gently cradle the side of his face in her hand.

 

“I'm good now.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. Promise.” he gave her that sweet, crooked smile, which told her that everything was alright and that he really was all good now.

 

“I love your nose.” Teddy mumbled with a little smile as she traced its shape with her fingertip. “I hope the baby gets your nose this time.”

 

“Don't wish that on the poor kid, darlin'. I look fucking worse every day.”

 

“Nonsense.” Teddy hushed him with a frown, and softly traced her fingertips along his forehead and over his temples. “You're even more beautiful than the day I met you.” she smirked, turning playful again.

 

“Oh shut up!” Daryl laughed and covered her face with his big hand. “Hey!” he scolded with a laugh when Teddy bit the fleshy part at the heel of his hand.

 

“Awww, I'm sorry... does Daddy have an owie now?”

 

Daryl groaned and playfully covered her mouth with his hand again. “Don't call me that. When it comes from you that shit gets me hard, and that creeps me the fuck out.”

 

Teddy took hold of his wrist and pulled his hand away from her mouth a little, but only until she was able to lick his middle finger from base to tip. “Sorry, Daddy.” she said in her most innocent voice, while her expression was anything but. She teased the tip with her tongue, then she slowly guided his finger into her mouth, giggling at Daryl's strangled groan.

 

“Jesus Christ, stop.”

 

Teddy let his finger slip out of her mouth and sat up with a laugh. “Funny that me calling you Daddy bothers you, but you still call me little girl when we play.”

 

“That's different.”

 

“How is that different?”

 

“Dunno. Just is.” he shrugged chuckling. “How you doin' by the way, Momma?”

 

“Now you stop. Brrrrrr, I can't stand when you call me that.” Teddy shook herself before she moved around and finally straddled his lap. “But I'm doing alright. So far this pregnancy is a bit different than the other two. I'm deathly tired in the mornings, but around afternoon I suddenly get an energy boost and can barely fall asleep at night. Oh, but I got really nauseous earlier for about an hour. So far no throwing up, though, which is nice.” While she talked she played with his unruly hair, moving it out of his face, smoothing it back, tousling it back up again and pinning some strands behind his ear.

 

“That's good. Maybe it stays that way. That would be great, hm?”

 

“Oh yes, that would be awesome.”

 

“What about the pain?”

 

“Little pinch here and there. But I had this really weird pain this morning when I put on my pants and tonight when I put on my sweatpants. Never experienced it before, but I've heard about it, so I'm not worried.”

 

“Can't wait for Friday. Think we'll get a picture?”

 

“I'm sure we will, but babe, it's still early this time around, so you'll barely see anything. In fact, it's possible that she might not see anything at all, yet. Depends on how far along I am. I'm thinking 7 weeks, so there should be a little something, but I might be wrong. Like the doctor said when I was pregnant with Kenzie, it's never really an exact science. I've had patients who had only been 3 weeks pregnant and the home test already picked up on it. Anyway, we'll find out the day after tomorrow.”

 

“Then we gonna tell people?” Daryl grinned. He was so excited about the pregnancy that he was extremely impatient about being able to tell Merle and the others.

 

“No.” Teddy laughed. “Not until I'm through the first trimester, remember?”

 

“Damn. That's what? Another six weeks or so?”

 

“Yep.” Teddy giggled at his frustrated sigh. “I know, it's gonna be tough. I'm gonna be doing things differently this time around, but that's something that I'd like to stick to, because it's just a fact that bad things can happen quickly during the first three months.”

 

“Don't even mention that.” Daryl shuddered slightly, before his cute smile found its way back to his lips. “I kinda love that ya ain't gon' starve yourself this time.”

 

“I didn't starve myself last time.” Teddy corrected him. “I ate things I didn't particularly enjoyed.”

 

“Same thing to me.”

 

“Yeah, kind of, I guess. Not this time. This is truly the last pregnancy for me and I want to enjoy it...” she trailed off as she suddenly got emotional. “Oh no...” she laughed a bit mortified as her eyes watered. “Hormones... shit, but I just thought about the fact, that this will truly be the last time I get to do this... I get to feel these little bubbles burst inside of me when I feel it move for the first time...”

 

“Last time I get ta hold your belly like that.” Daryl smiled, a little melancholic himself. “It's gonna be alright, though. Didn't really miss it the past four years, and after this one's finally here, we'll be even busier than back then.”

 

“I know. We'll be fine.” Teddy smiled and let herself get smushed against his broad torso by his strong arms, as he cuddled her half to death. Teddy didn't mind at all, tough. She loved when she got to feel his strength like this.... LOVED it... which was why Daryl soon felt her lips against his neck. A soft brushing of lips at first, before she slowly added more pressure and went over to nibbling and gentle sucking.

 

“Someone's in a mood.” Daryl quietly stated with a smirk. “Ain't chu tired?”

 

“My body is exhausted, but I'm not tired, if that makes any sense.” Teddy giggled. “But it's been a while since I've shown you just how crazy I am about you still, hasn't it? I don't like when you talk about yourself in a negative way.”

 

“It's alright. Ain't gotta do nothin'-”

 

“Oh, but I want to. We go the extra mile for one another, that's the way it is, and how it's always been. You do so much for us every day. Let me give back a little. Take a hot shower and meet me in bed, alright?”

 

She didn't have to ask him twice. “Alright.” he grinned happily and kissed her long and lovingly before he moved her off his lap.

* * *

She was stroking and kissing every single inch of his body, and it was driving him out of his mind. She had used to do that a lot back in the day when it had only been the two of them, but with busier lives and getting older, they got tired a bit more quickly at night, so these big worshiping sessions, where they really took their sweet time with each other, had gotten a lot less frequent. So this was a really nice surprise after a long day, that hadn't been exactly excellent.

 

Teddy had lit a couple of candles, and quiet music was playing. Daryl didn't recognize what it was, but he didn't really care anyway. It was not distracting, but quiet enough to add a relaxing hum to the whole sensual atmosphere inside their bedroom. Daryl was on his back, right in the middle of the bed. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and, for the most part, still pretty even. Only when Teddy's lips or fingers hit a good spot, his breath would get caught in his throat, only to be released in a shaky exhale a moment later.

 

“Mmmm...” Teddy felt the moan rumbling through his chest, right beneath her fingers, while she licked at his abs. She ended with a soft kiss and felt the well-developed muscles contract underneath his smooth skin.

 

“You like that, baby?” She cooed with a smile, even though she already knew that he loved it.

 

“Hell yeah.” Daryl grunted and buried one hand in her thick hair, and pulled her lips back to the skin of his belly.

 

Teddy let her tongue slide over his flushed skin some more. She moaned quietly when she felt the heat of his stiffened cock against her collarbone and shoulder. She had wanted to take her time and kiss him from the top of his head, down to the soles of his feet, but now that she was feeling his proud erection tapping against her body, her mind was only able to focus on one single thing: she wanted, no, she **needed** to suck on that beautiful, big, fat tip of his. She was craving it like she would be craving water after a long trek through the desert. She felt her mouth watering when she thought about feeling the smooth, velvety head of his cock against her tongue, and about the way Daryl always jumped and panted, when she flicked her tongue against the underside, just before she would give it a nice, long suck.

 

She forced herself to hold off on that for just a little bit longer, though. There were so many spots on his body she enjoyed lavishing attention on, she wanted to do at least a couple. Her lips descended slowly, and Daryl was grinning, because he knew exactly where she was headed. He quickly found out that he hadn't been wrong, when Teddy gently nudged his erection to the side with her nose, and started pressing kisses all over that little “pouch”, that little fatty spot right underneath his belly button, where his body seemed to keep all that extra bacon and the extra chocolate bars he had on occasion. Teddy absolutely loved that spot. Her hand went there so many times during the day, he often lost count. Sometimes it was an affectionate little pat or a teasing pinch.. or it acted as a resting spot for her hand during quiet cuddle time,... Not a day went by without that spot getting some attention from her. 

 

Daryl relaxed and sighed deeply with happiness. He loved when Teddy kissed and nibbled his little pouch, just as much as she loved doing it. “Ungh!” the groan was suddenly ripped from him, when Teddy's hand fondled his tight balls. It had caught him by surprise, because he had been so focused on her lips, that he hadn't felt her hand traveling lower. Daryl didn't get to relax again, because Teddy's lips and tongue were moving on, too. She had him releasing several shaky breaths as her tongue traced his sexy V-cut slowly, oh so slowly, all the way until she reached the dark curls of his pubic hair. Well, mostly dark. Much to his own horror, a few single gray hairs were in there now, too. Man, he had felt old that day, when Teddy had found them. Fortunately, she had been able to reassure him, that she thought it was kind of sexy, just like the gray patch on his chin. It had made him relax about it, but that didn't mean that he was happy about it. 

 

However, he forgot all about that when Teddy mouthed along the underside of his cock, all the way up to his tip. She engulfed only the head in her sweet, hot mouth and let her tongue swirl around it before she hollowed out her cheeks and created some nice suction as she pulled her head back and let him pop back out of her mouth. Her wet lips slid along the sensitive tip agonizingly slow, having Daryl release a long, drawn out moan. “Fffffuuuuuck, Teddy...”

 

Teddy giggled while Daryl was busy with gathering her hair up in his hands so he would have a good view of what she was doing. Teddy looked right into his eyes when she flicked the tip of her tongue against his frenulum, making him jump and pant harshly, while she immensely enjoyed that wonderful and familiar reaction of his. Some things simply never got old. She engulfed him with her soft lips again, humming her appreciation at well-known taste and sensation of having him in her mouth. She used her free hand to massage his stiff shaft and soon found a good rhythm between sucking, stroking, and fondling the soft sac between his legs.

 

“Oh God... mmmmmm, darlin'... yeah... oh God, babe.” Daryl was squirming and whimpering in no time at all. That intense pleasurable heat she was causing was licking at all the right nerve endings, setting his whole body on fire and making sweat break out on his skin. He wasn't able to keep watching, because his head kept lolling from side to side uncontrollably. “Ahhh, fuck!” Daryl shouted hoarsely, when he felt her middle finger slip between his cheeks to tease his puckered hole, while the heel of her hand kept massaging his balls. It felt amazing, but Daryl still tensed a little every single time her fingers wandered there. Teddy was allowed to touch, lick and kiss him in that “forbidden” spot, but she was not allowed, under no circumstance, to push against it or penetrate him. A boundary she accepted and respected, even though she would love to make him cum like a freight train by stimulating his prostate. Daryl was curious, but he was still too squeamish about it to explore it right now. Maybe in the future, he wasn't sure. Never say never. Up until about a year ago he'd never thought he'd let her put her mouth or fingers there and now he enjoyed it. Sometimes it scared him just how much he enjoyed it. He was going out of his mind. He was groaning and moaning loudly, completely forgetting about staying quiet, while he pressed the heels of his own hands against his eyes as he tried to keep his sanity. What she was doing felt mind-blowing. She let the tip rub against the inside of her cheek while she twirled her tongue along his hardened flesh, then she sucked him again, letting her hand on is shaft work in perfect unison with her mouth, while her other hand was taking care of his ass and his balls. He knew that the second she would let him slip into her throat, he would cum. He could literally taste his orgasm on his tongue, but he wasn't ready to cum yet, so he fought with everything he had against it.

 

_ My naked mother-in-law... Butt-naked Momma B rollin' in fuckin' ice-cold snow.  _ Daryl shuddered at the mental image he was painting for himself, but he wasn't sure that anything would help. It was just that kind of night and he was in the perfect mood for him to be able to let go and enjoy like this. He was turned on beyond belief and that wet-smacking sound Teddy's sucking was producing right now, only added fuel to that all-consuming, pleasurable fire that was about to burn him alive. They always had great sex, but he couldn't remember the last time Teddy had pleasured him like this, pulling out all the stops in order to make him cum so hard that he might pass out. It must have been before the accident, which meant months ago, and he really wasn't ready to have it end just yet... but Teddy was going in for the kill. 

 

“Play with your nipples, baby.” she gasped as she released him from her mouth only long enough to get the words out. It was a good thing that she didn't have a third hand, because this way, he was able to prolong things a little bit more. “Not yet.” he grunted. “God, keep goin' jus' like that, Teddy. Holy fuck it's so goddamn good, babe.”

 

She figured, because he had been pretty loud. Usually they were mindful of not waking up their daughter, so Daryl not paying attention to that meant, that she had gotten him exactly where she had wanted him tonight, which was out of his own head. Her jaw was aching, but she enjoyed seeing and hearing him letting go of his precious control, so she kept going a little longer. She let her lips rub back and forth along the sensitive ridge, let her tongue toy with the soft tip and suckled at him with just the right amount of pressure. Daryl's jaw went slack when he was able to let relax and enjoy it for a moment, without having Teddy actively try to make him orgasm. He savored all the pleasurable sensations to the fullest for several long minutes, until he was truly ready to cum.

 

Teddy saw his hands move, and when he was finally using his thumbs to flick and rub his nipples, she increased the intensity of her ministrations again. She was soon rewarded with those sexy little whimpers, which came out more and more high-pitched, the closer he got to crashing over the edge, interspersed with breathless little shouts and helpless grunts... It was her favorite tune, for sure. 

 

_ Come on, baby. Give it up,  _ Teddy thought, and just when Daryl stopped breathing and tensed up, she pressed two fingers into that magic spot behind his balls.

 

The tension snapped and Daryl wanted to scream, but found himself unable to do so. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see... First a wave of white flooded his vision, soon followed by black, and he was unable to hear anything but the blood rushing in his ears. He was able to feel, though, and he felt it all, every little bit of pleasure that was making his lower body jerk like he was getting shot. 

 

Teddy swallowed as much as she could, before she let him slip out of her mouth. His erection was contracting hard and his essence still flowed from him in little bursts, covering her hand that kept stroking him slowly. Teddy's spidey sense was tingling though. His lower body was quivering, but he seemed way to quiet and too still further north. “Daryl?” she looked up at him, feeling her suspicion confirmed when she saw his face. His face was scrunched up hard. He was all red with the veins popping out in his neck and forehead. He wasn't breathing, as usual when he came real hard. It wasn't news, but it still concerned her every single time. “Baby! Breathe!” she crawled up his body and put her hand to his cheek, while she blew air in his face. It was an old trick that was usually used on babies and toddlers, when they cried so hard they were no longer able to suck air into their lungs, but it worked on Daryl, too. It snapped him right out of it.

 

He inhaled sharply and greedily sucked the oxygen into his body. His expression relaxed and he slowly blinked his eyes open. Teddy smiled and gently caressed his face when he saw the glazed over and drowsy look he sported. “Good Lord.” Daryl panted. “Ain't had that happen in a while.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Was just what I needed, though.” he swallowed hard before he kept panting.

 

“I know that, too.” Teddy winked and climbed off of him, so she could get the water bottle from the nightstand. Daryl leaned up on his elbows and Teddy lovingly supported his head, so he could take a couple of sips. He was absolutely drained and barely able to hold himself up. When he flopped back down, Teddy put the bottle back on her nightstand, then she pulled the covers up over him. She took one last look at her phone to make sure that she had set the alarm, then she assumed her position next to him, on her side, with her back facing him. Tonight, Daryl wanted her closer though, so he rolled on his side, too, and spooned her, resting his hands on her belly. It had happened more often since the night Roxie had died and they had taken the tests, and Teddy wasn't complaining. During her pregnancies she had found to prefer sleeping in his strong and protective embrace. It relaxed her and made her fall asleep almost faster than him. 

 

“Love ya.” Daryl murmured into her hair.

 

“I love you. So, so much.” Teddy smiled sleepily.

* * *

Teddy winced a little when Dr. Hainesworth pressed the ultrasound wand harder against her cervix. She might enjoy that during sex with Daryl, but not during medical exams. She squeezed Daryl's hand and he responded by pulling their linked hands up to his mouth, in order to gently kiss her knuckles. They were both anxious, because they both feared that something could have happened to the embryo in the past couple of weeks, or that by freak coincidence, the tests could have all given a false positive result. Of course deep down they both knew that she really was pregnant, because of the symptoms and because her pants and shirts were ill-fitting already. It wasn't unusual to start showing really early during the third pregnancy, and as usual, her tight clothes were unforgiving, but still... waiting for the doctor to confirm it was nerve-wracking.

 

“Are you experiencing any pain this time?” the doctor asked while she pushed a couple of keys on the ultrasound machine. 

 

“Just the usual stretching pains. Little pinches. Not like my last pregnancy.”

 

“That's good. That cyst is gone and hasn't come back, so nothing major should be troubling you right now where pain is concerned.”

 

“Downstairs at least.” Teddy sighed.

 

Dr. Hainesworth smiled knowingly. “Tender breasts?”

 

“Yeah. Worse than last time, but pretty much the same as during my first pregnancy. Back then that was my first inkling that I could be pregnant, because my breasts hurt so much that even wearing clothes was painful.”

 

Daryl frowned, deep in thought, until his expression lightened up suddenly. “Maybe that means that it's a boy again, darlin'.” he grinned at Teddy.

 

Teddy froze and looked up at him in surprise. “Maybe... I didn't even think about it like that.” then she slapped him against his chest. “Thanks for getting my hopes up.”

 

“You want a boy?” Dr. Hainesworth smirked. “I'm afraid I can't tell you the sex, yet, but you already knew that.”

 

“I know. I'd love a boy... I'm so much better with them.” 

 

Something in Teddy's voice made Dr. Hainesworth realize that maybe things with their daughter weren't going great. Teddy had alluded to that during a check-up a while ago, but it wasn't Dr. Hainesworth's place to ask about it. Instead she focused on the task at hand and finally saw what she was looking for. “Well, whatever it is, we'll find out about it in about 9-12 weeks. Congratulations, it looks like you are 7 weeks along.” the doctor smiled and turned the screen, pointing towards the baby, so Daryl would know where to look.

 

“Thank you.” Teddy smiled. She was beaming at the sight of her new unborn baby.

 

Daryl squinted at the screen with a cute little smile. “Shit... can't believe one day it's gonna be as big as our little turtle. Can't believe that she used to be so tiny... Looks like a lil' kidney bean.”

 

“Oh my God, Daryl... I swear, if you call this kid Kidney Bean for the rest of its life, I will kick your ass for the rest of yours.” Teddy threatened laughingly.

 

“Come on, ain't the worst nickname.”

 

“It is. I'm sure you'll come up with something better in the next 33 weeks.”

 

“Sure will.” he grinned and took the picture from Dr. Hainesworth, which she had just printed out. “Gotta start pulling out the old picture frames again.” he grinned. Just like last time he wanted to be surrounded by pictures of the baby, until he would finally be able to hold it in his arms again. He couldn't wait, and in the back of his mind, the thought of playing midwife again started to bubble up. They did everything together, and he wanted to do this with her again, as well. They were a good team, they could do it. And now he had 33 weeks to convince Teddy in case she would be against it. He was absolutely looking forward to it.

* * *

** Thank you for reading! **

 

** I love this couple so much. Ugh, they're gonna haunt me for the rest of my life. **

** Tell me what you think, please. **

 

** I know we had a similar smut scene just a couple of chapters back, but I couldn't help myself. Having Daryl Dixon in your bed like Teddy has, who wouldn't worship the hell out of him? Don't worry, he'll have his playtime soon;-) **


	51. Chapter 51

Daryl didn't dare step foot into the bedroom. He remained standing in the bathroom doorway and watched the spectacle, which was currently unfolding on the bed, from a safe distance. He was amused by what he was witnessing. Teddy was so cute when she was angry and frustrated, But not only was she cute, she also had the potential to turn downright dangerous, if he would walk into that room with a smirk on his face right now. That's why he stayed out of her immediate reach.

 

Teddy was on her back on the bed, squirming, grunting and kicking her legs. “Come on.... Come on, you stupid son of a bitch!” She cursed and grit her teeth as she pulled on the clothes hanger with all her might... The clothes hanger, which was currently hooked into the zipper of her jeans and which was supposed to help her get her too tight pants zipped and buttoned up. Her face was flushed and her knuckles turned white as she held her breath and sucked her stomach in as best as she could. She tried to suck it in a little bit more when she felt the zipper moving, but a second later she had to realize, that it had only moved, because the little zipper thingy had broken off.

 

“Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh” Teddy yelled in frustration as she flung the clothes hanger across the room. Her fly burst open all the way again, having Teddy flop back down on the bed and release the most frustrated-sounding noise Daryl had ever heard. He had to bite his tongue, because he actually felt like laughing. Not at her directly, but at the whole situation. _She's so fucking cute..._ He wanted to take a picture of her laying on the bed, sweating and panting, her pants open with her gut spilling out of the open fly and the muffin top at the waistband, and her breasts slightly spilling out of the too small cups of her bra. It was amazing to him how different this pregnancy was. She wasn't even three months along and she had started showing and gaining quite some weight already. They had looked at pictures from her first pregnancy with Milo, and right now, at just ten weeks pregnant, Teddy looked exactly as she had when she had been four months along with her first child. There was no way they would be able to wait until she was through her first trimester until they told people. So far they had avoided their family, but they wouldn't be able to do that much longer. One look at her and they would know what's going on. Even Kenzie seemed to be looking at her mother weird from time to time. “Well, it's official...” Teddy's grumpy voice tore Daryl out of his thoughts. “Better order a couple of oversized tents at Mountain Outfitters, because that'll be all I'll be able to wear in a couple of weeks. I'm gonna be huge. Like two goddamn beached whales put together.”

 

“Nah... don't be dramatic, darlin'. It's gonna be fine.” Daryl finally took a step into the bedroom, feeling safe that he would be able to keep from laughing now. “Come on, off with these... broken now anyway.” he tugged her jeans back down her legs, leaving her in her black cotton panties. 

 

“They were my favorites.”

 

“You'll get new ones next year.” Daryl said as he tossed the pants behind him. He kept his voice quiet and calm, hoping that it would help her calm down again. “Just stay in today, go online and buy yourself some maternity stuff. I'm sure you can find a store that overnights that shit.”

 

“Probably.” Teddy muttered with a sigh. 

 

“What you wearin' this for anyway?” he pointed towards her bra. “Thought it hurt ya?”

 

“It does. Just thought it would be better for when clients come in later.”

 

“Just wear a hoodie or somethin', hm?” Daryl sat down on the edge of the bed and gently maneuvered Teddy to straddle his lap. When she was hugging his hips between her knees, Daryl reached around her and unclasped her bra.

 

“I wish I wouldn't have to wear anything at all. These puppies are killing me.” Teddy joyfully sighed in relief when Daryl took her bra off. The sigh turned into a sharp hiss as his hands carefully cupped the swollen globes.

 

“That bad?” a concerned frown settled on his features as his thumbs slowly caressed the warm, soft skin right next to her areolas.

 

“Mhm... but what you're doing right now actually feels nice.” Teddy was sighing again as her eyes closed.

 

“Hm...” Daryl grunted thoughtfully, then, a little smile found its way to his lips. “Maybe we just gotta find a way to make the pain good for ya.”

 

“Hard to do when you're at work.”

 

“Maybe connecting the pain to a good memory will be enough.” he gently kept caressing her and enjoyed watching her nipples pucker and tighten. With a mix of lust and admiration, he softly stroked her breasts for a moment. Teddy was almost purring as she enjoyed his careful ministration with closed eyes. “Goddamn beautiful.” he rasped as he bowed his head and ever so lightly closed his lips around her nipple. He sucked, not hard, but with her being so sensitive, it was enough to draw the sexiest reaction from her.

 

“Ahh...” the noise was a mix between a moan and a sob, as her body jerked reflexively. She grasped his head in both hands and pulled him closer, which told Daryl that she didn't want him to stop. Teddy's head fell back while she enjoyed what he was doing. She thought that Daryl had the softest and gentlest mouth she had ever felt on her skin. He could be achingly sweet and tender with her one time and then hard and rough another time, but no matter what he did, he always did it with love and it always felt incredibly. Just like now. It was like he was able to sense exactly what she needed. His tongue brushed her aching nipple ever so softly, turning the pain into sweet, sweet pleasure, with just the right sharp edge to it. 

 

Daryl switched sides and when he suckled at her other nipple with that wonderful mouth of his, Teddy enjoyed the quick stab of pain, because it caused her pussy to clench as the sharp, lust-filled tingles of her arousal spread throughout her lower regions. Her husband must have sensed her need, or maybe she had moved against him, she wasn't sure, but as soon as she felt the desire for friction, Daryl slid his hands on her firm butt and pulled her against the remarkable bulge in his boxer briefs. Before they made contact, he quickly pulled the crotch of her panties to the side, knowing it would give her more sensation. 

 

“Oh fffuckkk...” Teddy breathed when her heated flesh made contact with the familiar hardness that was hiding in his underwear. Daryl smirked and slowly rotated his hips a little, effectively pushing his dick between her soft folds. Teddy gasped and shuddered when her clit rubbed directly against the soft fabric of his briefs. She was suddenly so aroused that she knew she wouldn't need too much more of this, in order to cum. The prickly pain of his sucking was melting beautifully into the pleasure of his dick rubbing against her pussy. It made her clit pulsate in earnest and it made her release a beautiful, tortured whimper, that went straight to Daryl's groin.

 

“Come on, darlin'... I know you're close... Lemme feel you cum, baby.” he groaned before his tongue went back to playing with her stiff peaks.

 

“Daryl...” Teddy moaned and held on to his sexy, broad shoulders. She wanted to feel them tremble when he came. 

 

“I got ya, Teddy. Mmmmm, like that, darlin', so fucking good.” Teddy was moving faster, rubbing up and down against his length, making high-pitched little noises when her swollen clit rubbed directly against him. 

 

“Oh Daryl, please... please, please, please... I need to... oh fuck, please...” Teddy begged as her hips moved in a desperate rhythm. Her hands slid down to his chest, pinching both his nipples between thumb and forefinger.

 

Daryl inhaled sharply and grabbed her butt with both hands again, pulling her down on his lap with all his might. “Again.” he groaned. “Do that again, Teddy.”

 

Teddy pinched his hard nipples again, tugging them a little, too, making Daryl pull at her harder and harder, giving her just what she needed. 

 

“Oh God... oh God... I'm cumming...” her moans got louder and longer, just like Daryl's grunts got more intense and more frequent. They were interspersed with groans and gasps as Teddy drove his lust higher and higher with every movement of her hips. “Oh... oh... oh baby... yes... I'm... oh God...” Teddy was teetering on the edge. She was pulling on his hair with one hand and holding on to his shoulder with her other one, while her neck and back were arched so much that her hair was brushing his thighs. “More... please, baby, please.” she moaned desperately. Daryl obeyed and gave her right nipple a nice, firm suck. Teddy's ecstatic, involuntary yell set him off, too, and together they shared the sweet release they had brought each other. They held each other close as their hips twitched in unison and Daryl's underwear got soaked by the evidence of his pleasure. Some of it seeped through the cotton fibers, letting Teddy feel his wetness mingling with her own. “Jesus Christ.” she giggled happily, but still out of breath. “Not bad for a quickie.”

 

“I'll say.” Daryl grinned with that completely satiated and relaxed expression on his face, that only a good orgasm was able to cause. He put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for a breathless, long kiss. “Feel better, darlin'?”

 

“Hell yeah... I mean, they still hurt, but you were right... Now I got a veeerry good memory to associate with that pain.”

 

“Happy to help.” he smirked and shared another kiss with her. 

 

“I'm afraid waffles for breakfast is no longer an option, though.” she told him with her eyes on the alarm clock. 

 

“Don't care. This was way better than waffles anyway. Toast will do.” Daryl sighed contentedly. “Shit...” he suddenly laughed quietly and shook his head.

 

“What?”

 

“Really wanna eat ya out, right now.” Daryl admitted. He was craving her rich taste on his tongue. Thinking about it made his mouth water, but they were out of time. “...but ya better go wake up Turtle. I gotta take another shower.”

 

“Guess I can still wear my bathrobe.” Teddy was sighing, too, but more in defeat than out of happiness, because she had to face her clothes dilemma again.

 

“Yeah, for now. Just stay in sweats. Yer clients won't mind... if ya tell them, I mean. You know we can't wait no more, right?”

 

“I'm afraid so, yeah.”

 

“Let's tell Turtle later, when I'm home from work, alright? Then we'll call the rest of the bunch after dinner.”

 

“Good idea.”

 

“Perfect. Let's get a move on, then.” he smiled and gave her another loving kiss before he gently guided her off his lap. Teddy grabbed her robe and Daryl went back into the bathroom for a quick shower, while his wife got their daughter out of bed.

* * *

Teddy was not a sissy. She'd had two kids without an epidural, she knew pain and was able to tolerate a lot of it, but nausea was a whole other story. With pain you were able to scream and let it out a little bit, get a small sense of relief for a second or two, but with nausea, there was only silent, never-ending suffering. She wasn't sure what was worse, the nausea plus the throwing up from her last two pregnancies, or this sudden, heavy onset of it, where it lasted for a couple of hours, but without throwing up. 

 

She thought about it while she was curled up on the couch and tried to focus on her daughter who was playing nurse to her and a couple of her dolls. She found that maybe she preferred the nausea that ended in throwing up, because that way it felt like there had been a purpose for feeling like shit. Without puking it kind of felt like she had been sick in vain all afternoon. Teddy hadn't wanted to show this kind of weakness in front of her daughter, so she had turned it into a game of playing pretend. At this young age she didn't want Kenzie to think that having a baby was something scary that made you sick, so she had tried to stay upright and get dinner started, but about an hour ago, she had been unable to do anything but collapse on the couch and pray for the nausea-ending release of death.

 

“More tea, Momma?”

 

“Oh God, I'd kill for some tea.” Teddy groaned miserably. She took a deep breath and forced a smile for her daughter. “Yes, sweetie. I'd love some ginger tea with honey.”

 

“Okaaay!” Kenzie smiled and pretended to use her play kitchen to boil some water. “We have to take your temperature now.”

 

“Again? It's only been five minutes.”

 

“But I wanna check it again.”

 

“Fine, baby.” Teddy dutifully opened her mouth an let Kenzie stick the plastic toy thermometer into her mouth. 

 

Kenzie waited two heartbeats long, then she grabbed the thermometer again. “Beep, beep, beep. Oh, Mommy, you have a hiiiiiiigh fever. You need medicine. One shot and you feel good again.”

 

“That would be awesome.” Teddy smiled tiredly and watched Kenzie fumble with her plastic syringe and a small bottle. She could tell that Kenzie was picking up on the fact that Teddy wasn't just pretending this time. Kids had kind of a built-in sensor for their parents' moods, and Teddy was able to feel some genuine care behind Kenzie's play, which usually wasn't there when they played a round of Dr. Kenzie.

 

“Okay, this goes in your arm.” Kenzie was finally done filling the syringe with imaginary medicine. Teddy pushed up the sleeve of Daryl's hoodie she was wearing and let her daughter do her thing. Teddy smirked proudly when Kenzie used a tissue to wipe the injection site first, like she was disinfecting the area. Kenzie was never able to believe that her momma and grandpa had been doctors, but she always paid attention to what Teddy was showing her and used it during playtime. “Feel better, Mommy.” Kenzie gently petted Teddy's head and pressed a kiss against her forehead, making Teddy feel so much better with that single gesture. Getting some love from one's children was so much better than any medicine in the world. But not just from children. Pets were awesome, too. Snoopy was curled up against Teddy's belly, giving her some comfort as well. Thankfully their cat had survived the heartbreak of losing his companion. It had taken a bit, but he was fine again and Teddy and Daryl were thanking the heavens for that. 

 

“What's this?” Daryl's voice startled the two girls. He had entered the house through Teddy's downstairs offices, so they hadn't heard him come in. “Playin' doctor again? Do I have an appointment, too?”

 

Kenzie rushed towards her daddy, as she did every night, but Teddy remained laying down for once. Daryl picked his daughter up and got his kiss, but his eyes quickly strayed back to Teddy's pale form. “I just gave Mommy medicine. She will be all good soon.”

 

“That so? Good job, Turtle.” Daryl kissed Kenzie's temple, then he walked over to the couch with her. He perched on the edge of it, careful not to sit on Snoopy, and gently smoothed some hair out of Teddy's face, letting his thumb linger and stroke along her cheek while he leaned in and kissed her lovingly. “Hey.” he pulled back and studied her with concern.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Not doing so good?”

 

Teddy simply shook her head. Tears were glistening in her eyes. Seeing Daryl made her emotional. It was like her body responded to him being home. He was here, so now she could be done being strong and fall apart. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to fully do that yet, because Kenzie would still be up a couple of hours. Teddy would not let herself be a hormonal wreck in front of her. “I'm sorry, I wasn't able to make dinner. I tried, but-”

 

“Shhh, it's alright. I know. Don't worry about it. I'm gonna order pizza. Might be better anyway, in case we need ta bribe her, ya know?” he smirked, trying to lift Teddy's mood. 

 

“Pizza?!?!” Kenzie perked up when she heard that word, making her parents chuckle.

 

“Yeah, that sound good, Turtle?”

 

“Yesssssss!” she clapped excitedly. “I'll make a garlic knots.” she smiled and went to busy herself with her play kitchen. 

 

Teddy sighed quietly. “I'm nervous... how are we going to tell her? Think she'll be okay?”

 

“It's gonna be fine. She always envies Johnny for havin' the little ones around. She's gon' be happy.”

 

“Let's hope so.” Teddy took a deep breath as another wave of nausea hit her. “Is it alright if I take a short break in the bedroom? I'm sick like a dog right now.”

 

“Ya look it, too. Go ahead. I'll get ya when the food's here.” Daryl helped her sit up before he enveloped her in a hug. “Thanks for going through it again.” he whispered into her ear. “Wish I could take it all away.”

 

“You are. In your own way, you're helping. Thank you.” Teddy smiled and kissed him, then she slowly got up and made her way into the bedroom with Snoopy in tow. 

 

Daryl smiled as he watched her go. He loved when she wore his clothes. He had never felt overly big and strong growing up, so seeing his hoodie nearly swallowing her up made him feel more masculine.  _Prolly stupid, but that's how it is,_ he thought to himself as he grabbed the phone to order the pizza. After that he played a little with Kenzie before they put her toys away for the day. Not too long after they were done, the three of them were gathered around the dining table.

 

Teddy and Daryl exchanged nervous glances, while Kenzie was gloriously oblivious to them as she enjoyed her slice of pizza. Eventually, Daryl cleared his throat.

 

“Hey Turtle... ya ever think about wanting a brother or sister?” he asked, as Teddy held her breath.

 

“I have a brother, Daddy.”

 

“Yeah, that's right... but he don't live with us. Ya ever think about what it'd be like if ya had another brother or sister? Like, a baby? And you'd be the older sister?”

 

Kenzie perked up with excitement in her voice. “Like Johnny is an older brother?”

 

“Exactly. You think you might want that sometime?”

 

Kenzie nodded frantically. “Yes! Johnny always has someone to play with! Always. They cried a lot, but not no more, now they are fun and laugh a lot. I helped Auntie Maggie feed them and they got broccoli all over them. It was so funny! It's like dolls, but real.”

 

Daryl smiled and reached for Teddy's hand under the table. “That's good ta know, Turtle. Wanna know why?”

 

“Why?”

 

“'Cause Momma's got a baby in her belly.” he grinned and squeezed Teddy's hand as they watched Kenzie's eyes widen.

 

“Right now?” she asked in breathless excitement.

 

“Yeah, right now, baby.” Teddy laughed.

 

“Can I see?”

 

“Of course. Come here.” Teddy scooted back with her chair and got up. Kenzie eagerly slid off her own chair and skipped over to her mother, who was lifting up the hem of Daryl's hoodie to reveal her rounded belly.

 

Daryl had the biggest grin on his face when Kenzie put her warm, chubby hands on Teddy's bump. The little girl then made their parents jump in shock. Seeing and feeling the little bump made her realize that this was really happening, and she started squealing and laughing loudly as her happiness overwhelmed her. She jumped up and down like a little jackhammer and hugged Teddy's legs as she kept squealing happily.

 

“Oh God...” Teddy laughed as she wiped tears from her eyes. She really hadn't expected Kenzie to be this happy about the news. Daryl got up and kissed Teddy's cheek as he walked around his two girls to go get something.

 

“My little brother is in there? Can he hear me?”

 

“Well, honey, we don't know if it's a brother or a sister, yet. It could be a little sister, you know?” Teddy told her carefully.

 

“Can it be both? Johnny got two little brothers!”

 

“I know, but it looks like it's just one baby in here, sweetheart.” Teddy stroked her hand over Kenzie's dark head of hair as her little girl was resting her tiny chin against the baby bump and looked up at her mother with her Daddy's pretty blue eyes. 

 

“Wanna see a picture of the baby, Turtle?” Daryl was back, holding the frame containing the pic from the first sonogram.

 

The question brought on another round of excited squealing and jumping. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!”

 

Kenzie's joy had Daryl laughing happily as well. “You excited, Turtle?”

 

“Yeeeeeeesss! Please gimme the picture, Daddy!” Kenzie impatiently held out her hands. Daryl put the picture frame in her small palms, chuckling in unison with his wife at Kenzie's continued excited gasps.

 

“See that little thing here? That looks like a bean?” Daryl asked while pointing at the tiny embryo.

 

“Mhm.”

 

“That's your little brother or sister.”

 

“It's so small.” Kenzie whispered in amazement.

 

“Yeah.” Daryl grinned. “You used to be that small. Ya looked like a little turtle... Look how big ya are now.”

 

“That's why I'm your turtle.” Kenzie grinned, and Daryl couldn't help but kneel next to her and press a big kiss against her cheek.

 

“That's right. That's why this baby's gon' be our little bean.” Daryl smirked in Teddy's direction, loving the eye-roll he got from her in response.

 

“He or she will not be called 'bean'. Nope, no. Not this one.” Teddy protested, making her family laugh.

 

“We'll see.” Daryl chuckled. 

 

“When is the baby coming? For Christmas?”

 

“No.” Teddy sighed happily when Kenzie came back to her and cuddled her momma, keeping one hand on her belly. “It's gonna be here next year in late spring... or very early summer. It's supposed to be born in June, two months before your birthday.”

 

“That sounds loooong.” Kenzie pouted. 

 

“You're tellin' me...” Daryl agreed and sat on the chair next to Teddy's, stroking his daughter's hair.

 

“The upside is that now you can tell everyone.” she was primarily talking to Kenzie, but she was also addressing Daryl, knowing how much he was looking forward to being able to tell people. 

 

“What do you think, Turtle? Wanna call Grandma and Uncle Merle and Uncle Billy to tell 'em your big news?” Daryl would have loved to tell Merle himself, but he thought it would be even more exciting for Kenzie to be allowed to do it. 

 

“Can I? Right now?”

 

“Sure. Get the phone, baby girl.” Daryl helped her down from Teddy's lap, using the opportunity to kiss his wife soulfully while the little girl was getting the phone from the coffee table. “Went better than I thought it would.”

 

“I'm absolutely gobsmacked by how excited she is.” Teddy admitted. “I know she loves Milo and would love to have him here, but I never thought she really, really wanted a sibling.”

 

“Told ya she always envied Johnny for it. And she did ask for one when the twins were born, remember.”

 

Teddy looked at him in surprise. “Oh that's right. I forgot about that. We told her it wouldn't happen and she never asked again.”

 

“Looks like we made her day.” Daryl smirked when Kenzie came running back, already having dialed the number of her Uncle Merle. “Let's put him on speaker.” Daryl quickly told her, and Kenzie pressed the button just in time for Merle to pick up.

 

“What?” he barked into the phone in his usual gruff manner.

 

“Uncle Merle, it's meeeee!”

 

“Hey, sweet pea. Whassup?”

 

“I have news!”

 

“News, huh? Alright, let's hear it.”

 

“I'm gonna be a big sister!”

 

Silence.

 

Teddy and Daryl pressed their lips together, half in anticipation, half in trying not to laugh.

 

“Y'all getting a new mutt already?” Merle knew that Teddy and Daryl didn't want another kid, so he thought they might have picked out a new dog.

 

“No, Uncle Merle. Mommy has a baby in her belly. It looks like a bean. It's coming in June, two months before my birthday.” she breathlessly repeated her parents' words from earlier.

 

More silence.

 

“Wait, what? This is for real? Y'all are havin' another kid?” he sounded utterly flabbergasted, which had Daryl unable to keep in his amused laugh any longer.

 

“It's true, Merle. Teddy's ten weeks along. Wanted to wait a bit longer before we told anyone, but she's started showin' already. Can't hide it from you guys no more.”

 

“Ha, well, I'll be damned... Congrats y'all. Didn't think I'd see the day.”

 

“Neither did we, really.” Teddy smiled. “Until a couple of months ago.”

 

“No accident this time?”

 

“No, this one we tried hard for.” Daryl smirked.

 

“Yeah, yeah, more than I need ta know. Hey, little princess. Ya happy yer getting to be a big sister?”

 

“Yessssss, I can't wait. It's so long until then. I'm gonna help Momma feed it and change it's diaper, like I do with my dolls.”

 

“Did ya know that I did that with your Daddy?”

 

“You changed Daddy's diapers?” Kenzie's eyes got as wide as saucers.

 

“Hell yeah, I did. And the little bastard took his sweet time growin' outta them. Four years I had ta wipe his stinky ass.”

 

Daryl blushed as Kenzie's stunned eyes turned towards him. “You wore diapers when you were four, Daddy?”

 

“So what? I was a late bloomer.” Daryl grumpily defended himself.

 

“And boys always take a bit longer than girls, sweetie.” Teddy smiled. “Remember how Johnny wore them longer than you, too?”

 

“Yes, and he is older than me.”

 

“That's right. Everybody has their own pace.” 

 

“Gotta say, kinda nice to have another little one around soon.” Merle took on a more serious tone. “Little shits are growin' up way too fast.”

 

“Swear jar.” Kenzie threw in, making her uncle groan.

 

“Yeah, yeah... I'll get ya that dollar next time I see ya. When's that gon' be anyway? Ya ain't been comin' around to see your old Uncle Merle much lately. And we gotta celebrate your big news.”

 

“I don't know. I'm with Grandma on the weekend.”

 

“How 'bout I pick ya up in Jasper Sunday afternoon and we go to the zoo and for some ice cream, huh?”

 

“Yaaaaay! Can I? Please?” She looked at her parents with pleading eyes.

 

Daryl nodded. “Yeah sure. Sounds good. Thanks, man.”

 

“Anytime. Hey, uhm... been wanting to talk to ya. Got a minute?” Merle sounded unsure of himself, which certainly piqued Daryl's interest.

 

“Sure. Hey, Turtle... say 'bye' to your Uncle. Gotta talk to him alone for a moment and then you can call your grandma.”

 

“Okay. Bye, Uncle Merle.”

 

“Bye, kiddo. See ya on Sunday.” Kenzie handed the phone over to Daryl, who walked out on the sundeck while Teddy convinced their daughter to have some more dinner before they would make the next call.

 

“Alright, I'm outside. What's up?” Daryl was beyond curious about Merle's reason for wanting to talk to him. For a second fear flashed up inside of him. Merle wasn't getting any younger, he was in his fifties now, what if he was sick or something? Thankfully Daryl didn't have to be anxious for long.

 

“Kinda... umm... could use some help, I guess.”

 

“With what?”

 

“I... I'm seein' someone... kinda...”

 

“Seein' someone? Like a shrink?” Daryl smirked as he used the exact same words Merle had used back in the day, when Daryl had told him about Teddy for the first time.

 

“Ya know damn well that I don't mean no shrink.”

 

Actually, now that all humor was pushed aside, Daryl was surprised when he realized that Merle was for real. “Hold on, ya mean ya met a woman? Like, yer dating?”

 

“Shit, I dunno, man.” Merle would never admit it, but he was mortified by this conversation. “She's a nice lady... wouldn't mind seein' more of her, ya know?”

 

“Where ya meet her?” Daryl frowned. As far as he knew, Merle spent most of his time on the farm instead of going into town and socializing.

 

“She's takin' over as a vet for the farmer... The old man's retiring, remember? She's gonna work with lil' Bethy.”

 

“That Carol woman?” Daryl remembered Billy talking about it, but so far he hadn't met her.

 

“Yeah, that's her... Ain't really sure what to do now.”

 

“She interested in you doin' anything?”

 

“I think so... had a moment, I guess...” Merle felt like the biggest pussy on Earth by admitting that, which was why he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Had a couple of talks... some coffee out by the pasture...”

 

Daryl was stunned, but he was still smirking silently. This was a huge surprise, but it was also a lot of fun to listen to Merle squirm for probably the first time in his life. “So what you need my help with?”

 

“Just... dunno... like... how'd ya do things with Teddy? How'd ya get her to be with ya?”

 

“That just happened. Took her to a party in the woods, made her mine and pretty much moved in, all on the same day. More or less...” he added when he remembered that they did have some up and downs in between, before it was really official. “Never took her on dates or shit like that. Only that once.”

 

“Hm.” Merle grunted, unhappy that he still had no clue on how to proceed. Carol seemed too classy for a quick screw in the woods. In the future, maybe, but not to start things out between them. She had fire in her pretty pale blue eyes... he was sure she'd bust his balls if he would try anything on the first date. Surprisingly, he found himself liking that.

 

“Look, I ain't no expert, but one thing seems to be true every time.”

 

“What's that?”

 

“Don't play games or nothin'. If ya wanna take her out to eat or somethin', just ask her.”

 

“You didn't ask Teddy, if I remember correctly, little brother.”

 

“True, but I would have, if the opportunity hadn't presented itself like it did back then. Just go with your gut, but don't put on an act. That's really all I can say. If she's anything like Teddy, she's gon' want ya to talk to her, be honest and everything. You gotta talk about shit, even if it sucks. Sometimes I still ain't used to it, even after five years with her. But sometimes ya gotta do it.”

 

“Yeah, right.” Merle sighed. The thought of asking Carol out was making his knees turn to jello. Asking a woman for a quickie behind the bar? No problem. But professing genuine interest in someone he liked? That was fucking terrifying to him. But if his shy and quiet baby brother had been able to do it, then he should be able to do it, too.

 

“Sorry that I ain't got more for you, but Teddy and I... it just clicked, ya know?”

 

“Yeah, I get it. Thanks anyway.”

 

“What you gonna do?”

 

“I'll figure it out. I'll let ya get back to spreading the good news. Congrats, Daryl. I'm real happy for y'all. You're a good daddy.”

 

“Thanks.” Daryl swallowed hard. “Hope we won't fuck this one up, too.”

 

“Nonsense. Y'all didn't fuck nothin' up. She's a good girl, y'all just gotta let her uncles do all the spoilin'. Y'all be fine.”

 

“Yeah, we're working on it.”

 

“Alright, see ya Sunday.” Merle told him.

 

“Right. Bye.” Daryl said before he hung up. He huffed out a quiet laugh while he looked down at the phone in his hand. Merle had a crush on a woman. Now he had truly seen everything.

* * *

** Thank you for reading! **

 

** Let me know what you think. I know some of you have been rooting for Merle to find someone, too. Surprised that Kenzie was so happy about being a big sister? Anyone able to relate to Teddy when she realized that her favorite jeans would no longer zip? ;-p (haha, I'm sure some of us have been there before. I know I certainly have.) **


	52. Chapter 52

It was a rainy and cold Saturday morning, which was why the Dixon family was having breakfast inside, instead of having it out on their sundeck. The bad weather didn't do anything to hurt the good mood everybody was in, though. Kenzie was snorting with laughter at the utterly disgusted face Daryl was making as he watched Teddy eat breakfast.

 

“Tell ya what, darlin', I ain't kissing you today after seein' what ya just put in your mouth.” he shuddered as he imagined the taste of Teddy's snack.

 

Teddy smirked and proceeded to smear a another big dollop of nutella on her dill pickle. She took a big bite and moaned with delight. “Mmmmmmm... so good. You have no idea.”

 

“I don't even wanna have an idea. You can keep that to yourself.” Daryl shuddered again and made a little gagging noise, which made Kenzie crack up again. Just like Teddy, Kenzie loved seeing Daryl react like this. He was usually so cool and nonchalant about almost everything, so it was fun for the two girls to be able to get a rise out of him like that. “If ya ask me, that's why ya feel so goddamn sick in the afternoon.”

 

“Mommy, I wanna try!”

 

“Are you sure?” Teddy asked before she fished another pickle out of the jar.

 

“Yes!”

 

“Great...” Daryl grunted, “go ahead, Turtle... it's gonna be fun to play doctor for the both of ya all afternoon.”

 

“I won't get sick, Daddy. It's chocolate, and Mommy always says that chocolate heals everything.” Kenzie argued with her own brand of logic, while Teddy let her foot travel up Daryl's shin under the table.

 

“And I for one enjoy when you play doctor with me.” Teddy gave him a sexy little look and bit her bottom lip for even more effect.

 

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her, an amused little smirk playing along his lips, as he grabbed her foot and pushed the tip of his thumb into the space between two of her toes, effectively tickling her quickly and strongly. Teddy's knee jerked up reflexively and bumped hard into the table.

 

“Oooww!” she laughed and freed her leg from his grasp, in order to rub her sore knee. “That hurt.”

 

Daryl stuck his tongue out at her, while Kenzie's eyes grew wide. “Oh no... does that hurt the baby, too?”

 

“No, don't worry, Turtle.” Teddy smiled. “The little one is fine.”

 

Kenzie felt reassured and slumped back against her chair, while Teddy scooted closer to the table again and continued with her breakfast. Daryl quickly grasped her hand in his and guided it to his mouth, pressing a kiss to her palm before he released her. It was his way of saying sorry for making her hurt her knee. Teddy gave him her special adoring smile, in her own way telling him that everything was good and fine.

 

While her parents communicated silently, Kenzie wondered about a couple of things, which she soon voiced out loud. “Mommy? What's the baby do in there all day?”

 

“Oh, it's veeeery, very busy, sweetheart. It's preparing for living with us, just like we have to prepare for it. The baby has to get a lot done in a quite short amount of time.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Growing and developing. Let's see, it's the 16th week, so this week your little brother or sister started growing toenails. And he or she is preparing to grow hair. And if we would be able to look inside, it would have a real little face now. Still not like when it comes out, but it's all in the right place now.” Teddy explained, and not only Kenzie was listening intently. Daryl didn't really have a concept of the baby's development either, and hearing what the baby was doing was kind of fun. Hearing that it had a little face now made longing spike inside of him though. He couldn't wait to see it and hold the little miracle in his arms. It was still such a long time until then... the only downside to finding out so early this time around. “The baby is about the size of an avocado and if we push against my belly now, it should be squirming a little in there.”

 

Kenzie gasped with excitement and immediately slid off her chair. “Can I feel? Please?”

 

“I'm sorry, baby, but we can't feel it yet. The baby is still too small.”

 

“Hm...” Kenzie scowled thoughtfully, just like her Daddy tended to do. “but Mommy, if the baby is so small, why is your belly so big?”

 

“Because there is a lot of cushioning in there to protect the baby.” _And because Mommy really likes her potato chips these days..._ Teddy added silently. It was true, she had gained a lot of weight already compared to her two previous pregnancies, because she wasn't acting like a hardcore health-nut this time. But since Daryl was supportive and enjoyed having some more cushion for the pushin', Teddy was still successful at not freaking out over her looks. She was still careful about what she ate, but she also allowed herself to indulge when she felt like having something. She was pretty happy and relaxed and she figured that maybe it was part of the reason why she was practically flying through her pregnancy without much turbulence right now. Except for those nausea spells (which were mostly gone by now) and some stretching pains, she felt fine most of the time. 

 

“You have a big pillow in the belly for the baby?”

 

“Yes, kind of. It's made out of water, so the baby is swimming in there and will be a little wrinkly when it's born.”

 

“It can go swimming all day?” Kenzie's eyes grew wide again.

 

“Oh yeah... lucky baby, huh?” Teddy sighed playfully, knowing how much Kenzie loved swimming. If she could, she'd practically live in the water.

 

“Can we go swimming, too?”

 

“Nah, Turtle.” Daryl shook his head. “Look outside, it's raining like crazy.” Kenzie grunted her displeasure. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled darkly. Daryl almost had to laugh at how cute she looked, but he had learned that he shouldn't do that. “Kenzie...” he said her name in a warning tone of voice. He hated using it, but he knew he had to. “Don't start, baby girl. We can go splashin' around in the tub later, but we ain't gon' do that if ya start up with your attitude.”

 

Hearing her real name coming from her father's mouth was still a very strange experience for the little girl. Up until a couple of weeks ago, he'd only ever called her Turtle. Now she knew that he meant business when he called her Kenzie, and it was a great sign that he might get mad at her if she didn't listen. That was something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

 

“Sorry. Can I go play?”

 

“Sure, but take your plate and cup to the kitchen first.” Daryl told her, thankful that she had forgotten all about wanting to try pickles topped with nutella. Bad enough that Teddy was devouring that “delicacy” right next to him. “What's on the docket for today?” he asked Teddy while Kenzie left the room.

 

“Not much. We can start making a list of things we need for the baby.”

 

“Like a whole room?” Daryl let out a little laugh.

 

“Yeah, we gotta figure out what to do about that. We gotta check our finances, find out if and where we could save some more. We can make a list of things we can get from other people. The good thing is, that Billy and Maggie still have all the stuff from the twins. They'll be roughly two years older than our baby, so we can get a lot from them, especially if it's a boy. We'll give them some money for it of course, but we still save a ton of cash.”

 

“Right. We still got Turtle's crib. They got our changing table and the baby carrier, baby swing and all that stuff, so we can just get that back.”

 

“That's right. The only thing we gotta buy is a new stroller. And new car seats... which is pretty much the most expensive out of all the things a baby needs, of course.” Teddy laughed with a shake of her head. “And with having to build a whole new room... Guess we're not really saving money after all.”

 

“There's still some ways to save money.” Daryl said. “Breastfeeding for example.”

 

“Right... if it works, then yeah.”

 

“There's another thing I came up with.” Daryl was actually squirming in his seat a little, which had Teddy pretty curious.

 

“Okay? What's that?”

 

“We sell one of the cars and I get a bike...” Daryl stated carefully. His stomach sank when he saw Teddy's expression harden as soon as he had finished saying the words.

 

Teddy felt a slight wave of panic crashing down over her, but she tried to remain calm. Her next words were spoken slowly and deliberately, as she tried to keep her cool. “Most of the money in our bank account was earned by you... you can do whatever you want with your expendable income... you don't need my permission.”

 

“But ya hate the idea.”

 

“I worry... you know that. Especially with two little kids at home.”

 

“It ain't as dangerous as everybody says.” Daryl argued.

 

“Then why is the death rate for riders higher than for drivers?”

 

“'Cause a lotta young guys are ridin' and they are fucking careless and feel invincible. I ain't like that no more. If ya know what you're doin', a bike is safer than a car.”

 

“Really?” Teddy sounded sarcastic. “And why the hell is that?”

 

“Ya got a better view, you can see danger earlier than in a car... Ya got more options, ya can evade better.”

 

“Yeah sure, sounds perfectly logical, but what about the stupidity and carelessness of other drivers? Like in the accident you **just** had? If you had been on a bike, you wouldn't be sitting here right now.”

 

“Might not have had that accident in the first place, if I'd been on a bike. Wouldn't have been focused on our daughter... would have been able to swerve and land in a field... Accidents fucking happen Teddy, car or bike don't matter. Sure, if an accident happens, I'm safer in a car, but like I said, on a bike I'm able to keep accidents from happening better.”

 

Teddy sighed deeply and hugged herself as she leaned back in her chair. “If you wanna do it, because it will make you happy, then do it. But it won't help us saving money, because we do need two cars.”

 

“Why?”

 

“If I have an early client and need you to take the kids to school and daycare... You can't do that on a bike. And you can't take my car because I need it to run errands and pick the kids back up.”

 

“Daycare?” Daryl frowned. “Thought we wanted Momma B to come here and watch the baby? You said you wanted to re-do your work schedule.”

 

“For God's sakes, yes... it was hypothetically speaking, Daryl.” Teddy grew exasperated. After the accident he had had almost a year ago, her nerves got a bit frazzled when she thought about him riding a bike every day. “What if I need you to take Kenzie to school?”

 

“Your momma can do that. Pack up both kids, take Kenzie to school, maybe run some errands for ya, while you're working.”

 

“So you want to turn her into Rosario? She won't have that, I can tell you that right now.”

 

“She ain't that bad no more, Teddy. She's lonely. She just wants ta be with her grandkids.”

 

Now Teddy was near tears, thanks to the wonderful, pregnancy-induced mood swings. Hearing that her mother was lonely was tugging at her heart strings. She had an inkling of what her mother must feel like after having lost Gerald a couple of years ago. When Daryl had been in that (thankfully short-lived) coma, Teddy had felt incredibly lost and lonely. She would have given everything to hear him speak and to feel him squeeze her hand. Daryl had woken up, but her father, Gerald, would never wake up again. Bernadette didn't have the option of hope. She had resigned herself to staying alone for the rest of her life. Gerald could not be replaced.

 

Teddy quickly wiped at her tears and took a sip of water. “Yeah okay, maybe that would work out. Maybe Maggie would take Kenzie with them, but what about winter? What when there's snow and the roads are iced over? What if it's raining cats and dogs, like today?”

 

“Could get a ride from Billy.”

 

“Every day for a week or longer? You would hate being that dependent on him.”

 

“Then on those days, I gotta take the car and you gotta stay home with the baby until I'm back.”

 

“And if there's an emergency with the baby?”

 

“Then ya call me and I come home, Teddy... now you're just looking for problems.”

 

“I'm just looking at this from all angles, Daryl. But like I said... you're an adult, you're the money maker... I can't keep you from doing it, especially not if it's something you really want.”

 

“But ya ain't gonna support it.”

 

“I'll always support you, baby, but it's definitely something that makes me very nervous. I know you're competent, I know you're responsible and careful, I trust you, but I don't trust other drivers. Not anymore.”

 

“I get that... Just think about it, alright? Bikes are good on gas and we could use some extra cash in the bank at the end of the day.”

 

“I don't have to think about it. If you wanna do it, then sell my car. We keep the new one and you get your bike. We'll work out the rest as we go. I know you love me and our kids, so I trust you to be as safe as you can possibly be, so you'll come back to us at night. At the end of the day, that's all we really need... We need you. That's all I can say about it. The decision is up to you.”

 

“The good thing is that we might make a profit from the sale of the car. We can use that for the new room, so it won't suck up much of our savings.”

 

“Wouldn't hurt...” Teddy admitted, albeit a little reluctantly.

 

Daryl smirked and leaned forward, supporting himself on the table on his forearms. “C'mere.” he coaxed her to mirror him so he could give her a big kiss. Teddy emitted a little frustrated grunt, but she slowly moved to meet him. Daryl snickered. “Now you don't start givin' me attitude... Don't feel like spankin' my pregnant wife.”

 

“And your pregnant wife doesn't feel like getting spanked, either.” Teddy said right before he kissed her with a loud smacking noise. 

 

“No? What's she feel like then?” he asked playfully.

 

“Making out on the couch on a rainy Sunday afternoon, like two horny teenagers?”

 

“Don't sound too shabby... ain't gonna happen, though.”

 

“I know. Maybe we can get some cuddle time in, let her play doctor, and every time she turns her back, we can sneak some kisses... Uuuuhh, we can make it a game. We have to be able to stop again quick enough before she catches us.”

 

“We do that all the damn time.” Daryl chuckled. “Still sounds great though. Fucking miss ya.”

 

“Same here.”

 

“You work too damn much.” Daryl complained with a scowl.

 

“I know, but i don't have much choice, if we want to leave our savings as untouched as possible. I gotta get back into couponing, too. It can save us a buttload of money on diapers.”

 

“Fuck.” Daryl sighed and rubbed his face. “Between you workin' 3 nights a week now and then doing that couponing shit, which takes hours, on the nights ya don't work, when am I gonna see ya and get to spend time with ya?” Daryl knew that he had no right to be frustrated, but he was. She was doing all of it for them, he was aware of that and appreciated the hell out of it, but it didn't change the fact that he missed having his time with her. Recently, Kenzie had taken up some of that as well. “Plus, our little turtle's all over you these days.”

 

“Awww, baby...” Teddy couldn't help but grin. “Are you jealous that I'm getting most of her attention right now?”

 

“Shut up.” Daryl grunted all grumpily. “Ain't like that. I'm fucking happy that she's bein' more cuddly with ya now, but I ain't used to seein' so little of ya, you know?”

 

“You see me plenty.”

 

“But it ain't the same.” Daryl complained. _I sound like a whiny fuck,_ he realized and took a deep breath. “Damn... I dunno... sorry. Gotta get used to havin' less of ya to myself. Ain't gon' get better when the little one's here.”

 

“It is gonna get a little better when the baby is here, because I won't be working the first two months and we get a lot of family cuddle time.” Teddy smiled and walked over to him to sit on his lap. “Hey, why don't you start coming home for lunch, hm? I know it's not an awful lot of time, but it's just the two of us for about an hour. How's that?”

 

The smile that lit up his face was her answer. She felt her heart skip a beat at the sight. He had an absolutely gorgeous smile, especially when it was so broad that it showed off his cute fangs. That kind of big smile was still rare, so every time she got to see it, she fell in love with him all over again. “That's fucking great. Let's do that.”

 

“We will.” Teddy smiled and kissed him soundly. They kept kissing for a little bit, until they got interrupted by the sound of Kenzie running back to them from her room.

 

“Mommy, Daddy, can we build the Lego Princess Castle?”

 

“Sure, Turtle.” Daryl nodded and let Teddy get up from his lap.

 

“You guys will have to start without me. I wanna go to the store now, get that behind me. I'm gonna pick up some more stuff for next week while I'm there. You need anything special?”

 

Daryl cleared his throat and got up, too, so he would be able to whisper into Teddy's ear. “Last time I checked, we were almost outta lube.”

 

Teddy smirked. “Hmmm, someone thinks he's getting lucky tonight, huh?”

 

Daryl laughed a little and softly smacked her butt. “Careful, cheeky girl...”

 

“Why are you whispering?” Kenzie frowned at her parents, before her expression lit up. “Ooooohhhh, is it a surprise?”

 

“Maybe.” Teddy shrugged her shoulders with a smile. “You'll have to wait and see... Anyway, I better get dressed and get going.”

 

“You do that. We're gonna go and get started on that castle thing.”

 

“Bye, Mommy. Bye, Baby. Be careful.” Kenzie hugged Teddy's legs and kissed her belly.

 

“Always am.” Teddy promised and went to get ready.

* * *

The line at the store had been ridiculously long, so by the time Teddy was done with the groceries and had picked up some stuff from the pharmacy, she felt famished. There was a good little pizza place just a couple of buildings down from the pharmacy, and she decided to bring home some pizza for lunch. Her guilty conscience was gnawing at her, because she had been serving pizza quite frequently lately, but with having so much work to do and being tired on top of that, they had let their good eating habits suffer a little bit. She decided that she would ease her guilty conscience by taking some salads home to balance it all out again. 

 

Before she was able to enter the pizza place, she was stopped in her tracks, though. Through the glass front of the small place she saw her sister-in-law, Maggie. While usually that would have made her happy, this time it had her whole stomach cramping unpleasantly. An uncomfortable tingling sensation settled at the back of her neck as she watched Maggie talk to a young Asian man, who stood with her by the counter. She had seen the man before, he delivered the pizzas. He was called Glenn, if she remembered correctly. The whole scene looked harmless enough, Maggie was probably doing the same thing Teddy wanted to do, which was to pick up some delicious pizza for lunch... but what had Teddy so shocked and rooted to her spot was the way Maggie was looking and smiling at that Glenn guy, and vice versa. It looked like flirting... like a couple on their first date...

 

Teddy couldn't breathe. She wanted to throw up. Maybe her pregnancy hormones had her overreacting, but this whole thing had her spider sense tingling and it didn't seem harmless at all to her. She turned on her heel and walked back to her car quickly. She was no longer hungry.

 

“It's Maggie... she would never... They're happy. They have three kids for crying out loud.” Teddy reasoned with herself after she was back in her car. “You're overreacting, Dixon. She was just getting some pizza for the family.”

 

But as much as Teddy tried to explain away what she had just witnessed, that dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach remained. Daryl picked up on it immediately. Granted, it wasn't hard to figure out that something was wrong, because Teddy was really out of it after she had returned back home.

 

While Teddy was fixing lunch, Kenzie did the same in her play kitchen, and Daryl used the opportunity to talk to his wife. “What's wrong? Something with the baby? You not feeling well?”

 

Teddy took a deep shaky breath and turned to face Daryl. “I saw something... and I'm not sure what it means, but my gut tells me, that it's not good.” she told him in a lowered voice.

 

Daryl frowned, partly with utter clueless-ness and partly with concern. “What are you talking about?”

 

“I saw Maggie... I was going to stop for pizza, and there she was, talking to that delivery guy.”

 

“So?”

 

“The way they looked at each other, Daryl. Their body language, the way they seemed to be flirting...” Tears started to gather in Teddy's eyes. “Baby, I think she might be cheating on Billy.”

 

Daryl felt shocked and a little numb. He stared at Teddy with his mouth agape for a whole minute, before he was able to find his words again. “Nah... come on... Are you serious?”

 

“I tried to be reasonable about this, but I have this feeling in my stomach... When I saw them, it was like an icy cold shiver ran down my back... like my brain already knew what it was seeing, while my eyes hadn't even realized what they were seeing yet, you know?”

 

“Are you sure? I don't wanna get ya mad right now, but maybe your hormones...?” he trailed off, looking at her carefully.

 

“Trust me, I've thought about the fact that I might be exaggerating... and maybe I am, Daryl, I don't know, I'm so confused. All I can tell you is what I saw... and that I can't shake this feeling I've had since then. I mean... It's crazy, right? They're happy. Aren't they? Did he say anything to you?”

 

Daryl thought about it for a minute and tried to remember if there had been any signs of trouble in the past couple of weeks. “I dunno, darlin'. He's been lookin' a little rough, but with three little kids and a business to run... Everybody'd be tired with all of that on their plates. He's working his ass off... Ain't said nothin' though.”

 

“Should I talk to him?”

 

“Nah, better let sleeping dogs lie, Teddy.”

 

“What am I supposed to do? Nothing?”

 

“That would probably for the best, darlin'. You said it yourself, you ain't sure what you saw. What if it was harmless and you start makin' a ruckus about it? Won't help no one.” Daryl did his best to calm her down, but he had to admit that even he was now questioning things in the back of his head. “And hey, think about it like this: she ain't stupid. People here know her. Think she'd go meet her lover in a public place in broad daylight?”

 

“Having a crush on someone or, God forbid, being freshly in love with someone can make you do very, very stupid and reckless things, Daryl. Do I have to remind you of your stint in jail, because of the lovely co-worker who was crazy about you?”

 

He wasn't able to argue with that. However, he didn't want her to stir up shit and get herself into hot water in the process. “You may be right, but still, keep your mouth shut, Teddy. At least wait until you have proof or something. You can confront her if you have proof, but until then, don't do anything. Promise me.”

 

“Fine. I promise.” Teddy sighed miserably.

 

“Try to forget about it. I'm sure it was nothing.” Daryl hoped she would listen. He did not feel like having a family war on is hands, if Teddy would wrongfully accuse Maggie of cheating.

 

“Easy for you to say.” Teddy mumbled to herself as she turned back to face the counter and continued fixing a salad. “You didn't see what I saw.”

* * *

Teddy wasn't able to forget what she had witnessed. It was nagging at her constantly and obsessively. She needed to talk about it. She felt bad about breaking her promise to Daryl, but she needed to ask Maggie about what she had seen. So one morning, when her family was off to work and school, and Teddy didn't have any clients, she invited Maggie and the twins over for a late breakfast. Her initial plan had been to confront the issue head on, but upon taking a closer look at her sister-in-law, Teddy held back for a short moment. Maggie was smiling, but she had huge dark circles under her eyes and looked absolutely tired. Not sleepy tired, but more like “I'm just done” tired.

 

“God bless you, Teddy. I needed to get out of the house for a bit.” Maggie had spread out the twins' toys on the floor before she had joined Teddy on the couch.

 

“Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look so good. Are you okay?” Teddy was genuinely concerned.

 

“Yeah, sure. I'm fine.” Maggie tried to sound upbeat, but Teddy saw right through it.

 

“Bullshit.”

 

“You and your husband... always competing for the trophy for being the most perceptive.” Maggie laughed without humor.

 

“I think even a blind man would be able to tell in this case. You seem... I don't know. Sad, somehow.” Teddy started to put two and two together and took Maggie's hand with a gentle smile. “Maggie,... I want to be honest. I invited you, because I wanted to ask you something. The other day, I was running some errands... and I saw you... inside the pizza place...” She watched Maggie's confused expression morph into a surprised one as she kept talking. “I saw you talking to that guy... Glenn? I don't wanna assume anything, maybe I imagined it, but you two looked pretty cozy... So... Seeing the way you are now, I gotta ask... Are you and Billy having problems?” Teddy asked and held her breath. Her heart fell when she saw the other woman swallow hard and tear up.

 

“I'm not cheating, if that's what you think.” Maggie defended herself. “I'm not having an affair... It's just a little flirtation. Glenn is nice... sweet... Like Billy used to be. He makes me feel like a woman again. An attractive woman... I know it's pathetic.” Maggie let out an embarrassed laugh.

 

Teddy's heart constricted painfully. She felt like she couldn't breathe while she listened to Maggie.

 

“It feels good. Having his attention, I mean. I like him, but I would never act on it. Not while I'm still married.”

 

Teddy almost choked on her tea. “While you're **still** married?!? Jesus fuck, what's going on? Are you getting a divorce?”

 

Maggie bit her bottom lip and shrugged. “We're talking about it.”

 

“What?” Teddy's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head. “How's this possible? You love each other so darn much! What happened?”

 

“Three kids and a business, Teddy. Sometimes loving each other isn't enough to make it work anymore.”

 

Teddy instinctively cradled her belly with her hands. “The kids... Why... how... I-I don't get it.” Teddy felt like her whole world view just got shattered to bits and pieces. “Yesterday you were happy, and today this?”

 

“We haven't been happy in a while, Teddy. Did you know that the last time we had sex was shortly after the twins were born?”

 

Teddy's eyes widened even more, if that was possible, because the twins had celebrated their first birthday a couple of months ago. “You haven't had sex in a year? No, come on. That can't be, Maggie.”

 

“I'm not kidding, Teddy. He doesn't see me as a woman anymore. He sees me as a mother and as only that. We're not acting like a married couple anymore, we're acting like good friends who have three kids together. What we used to have is just gone.”

 

“But it can come back. You can work on it.”

 

“We tried, but... well, we are both starting to accept that it is a lost cause. You know, he works so much... sometimes I think it's not because he has to, but because that way he doesn't have to be home. He loves the kids, he does, he does everything for them... but I guess it's hard being around me now. I kind of feel the same way, because I look at him and I remember what it used to be like and I realize that those times are gone and it really hurts.”

 

Teddy's mind was in a whirl. She had no idea what she was thinking, except for the fact that she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Maggie and Billy had always been such a solid couple in her eyes. If they were splitting up... “I'm sorry, but I have no idea what to say. Apart from 'I'm so sorry', I guess.”

 

“It's okay. You don't have to say anything. Thank you, though... for asking me about Glenn first, before you went to Billy.”

 

“I'm not gonna tell him, don't worry. There's nothing to tell, that's what you said, right?”

 

“Right. There's nothing physical going on. There's nothing going on at all, really. He just talks to me sometimes, when I'm there. Like I said, he sees me as a woman, he makes me feel like I'm not just a mother, and right now that's something I really need.”

 

“Do you seek him out?”

 

“I know it's not right, but I guess we've been having pizza pretty often... pretty much every time I'm having a really hard day...” Maggie quickly wiped a tear away.

 

“Come here.” Teddy opened her arms and Maggie gladly went in for a hug. When Teddy's arms enveloped her in a warm embrace, Maggie wasn't able to keep it together anymore, despite her sons being there. She burst out crying in earnest and Teddy cried right along with her, while she rubbed Maggie's back comfortingly.

 

“It feels so good to talk about it.” Maggie sobbed. “My family has noticed that things are off, of course, but I haven't talked to anyone. Not even Beth. I kept it in and it was killing me.”

 

“I know he's my brother, but you can still come and talk to me. We're friends and we'll always be, I promise. Yeah, I was shocked when I saw you with that man and yeah, my first thought was cheating, I admit that, but I wanted to hear from you what the hell was going on, before I decided that you were hurting my brother. But now you explained, and even though I still don't understand what the hell happened, I still love you, Maggie. And I'm sorry I'm rambling and that it probably doesn't make any sense, but I really don't know what to do here.”

 

“You're already doing it.” Maggie laughed through her tears. “Thank you.”

 

“Thank you for being honest and opening up.” Teddy and Maggie pulled apart and wiped at their wet eyes. Thankfully the boys hadn't paid them no mind, they were too engrossed in their toy cars. “So, what's gonna happen now? What's the plan?”

 

“I don't know.” Maggie shrugged and dug a pack of tissues out of her purse, so she and Teddy could blow their noses. “I really don't know.”

 

“If you need anything... If you need us to take the kids so you two have time to figure things out...”

 

“That's sweet, but you two have enough on your plates with your own family. We'll be fine. We have enough babysitters around.”

 

“Gosh, what a mess.” Teddy sighed quietly with a shake of her head. She was still in utter disbelief.

 

“Yeah, I guess so.” Maggie said before she blew her nose, then the two women fell silent for a long while.

* * *

“Alright. Thanks for the heads up. See you later.” Billy hung up the phone. Maggie had called him to let him know that Teddy knew about the situation. Billy sighed deeply, squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Damn...”

 

“What?” Daryl asked with a frown, making Billy jump, because he had totally spaced out for a moment and had forgotten that Daryl was in the office with him.

 

Billy quickly caught himself and took a deep breath. _Might as well tell him..._ he thought while he raked a hand through his hair. “Can you sit down for a second?” Daryl had a penchant for standing up whenever he was in the office, but right now it made Billy nervous.

 

“That can't be good. Somethin' happen?” Daryl sat down with a wary expression on his face.

 

“Yeah, kinda...”

 

“What's the matter? We in trouble?” he asked, referring to their shared business.

 

“No, nothing like that.” Billy quickly reassured him. “It's... ummm,... Maggie and I,... It looks like we're splitting up... getting a divorce maybe.”

 

Daryl felt like someone hit him with a sledgehammer. His mouth dropped open in shock and all air rushed out of his lungs as he looked at Billy absolutely flabbergasted. He probably should have seen it coming with what Teddy had told him about seeing Maggie with another man, but he truly hadn't expected this. Not in a million years.

 

“It's no one's fault. We just drifted apart, I guess.” Billy kept going. “It just happened. Didn't even realize it at first. I still love her, but it's not the same anymore. Been like that for a while. We haven't told anybody... not until today. Teddy had Maggie over earlier and she sensed that something was off and asked her about it. So now, I'm telling you...”

 

Daryl knew exactly why Teddy had Maggie over. Usually he would have been mad at her for breaking her promise not to do anything, but today he didn't have it in him. He was shell-shocked and he had the strongest urge to go home and be with Teddy. To wrap his arms around her and to not let her go for the rest of the day.

 

Billy looked at Daryl expectantly. He didn't know what exactly he was expecting from the younger Dixon brother, but whatever it was, Billy quickly figured out, that he wouldn't be getting it from him. He once again had to deal with this issue by himself.

 

Daryl felt bad about not being able to handle this situation better, but he was too confused by this shocking piece of news to dole out any well-meaning words of consolation and advice. He needed time to process it. He **really** needed to be with Teddy. “I'm goin' home for lunch.” It was all Daryl was able to come up with.

 

If the situation had been any different, Billy would have laughed. This was no laughing matter, though, so he just shrugged and swallowed down the sliver of disappointment he felt. “Yeah, sure.”

 

Daryl all but bolted from the office. For the first time in a long time, he was really craving a cigarette. Lunch wasn't for another half hour and he could really use something to calm him down until then.

* * *

Teddy jumped when the front door slammed shut, but she was insanely glad when she saw Daryl storming into the kitchen. She didn't have time to say hello, he was on her in an instant. He pressed his lips down on hers with bruising force. His arms held her cradled against his solid form as tightly as possible without squishing her belly too much. “Are ya mine?” he breathed against her lips between kisses. He needed to make sure. He had no idea why this whole thing with Billy and Maggie had such an effect on him, but he felt so scared that he would lose Teddy if he didn't hold on to her tightly enough in this moment.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Forever?”

 

“Fuck yes.” Teddy bit out, and before she knew what was happening, Daryl was on his knees in front of her, yanking her pants and panties down, hooking her leg over his shoulder and burying his face in her pussy with a growl.

 

He needed this. He needed to immerse himself completely in her, to get lost in her. And he had a feeling that she might need it as well. Once he had made her cum on his face, he wordlessly carried her into their bedroom and made love to her all throughout his break, and let her cry on his shoulder afterwards.

* * *

**Thank you for reading.**


	53. Chapter 53

“Feel better?” Daryl asked while he held his wife cradled to his side, much later that night. They were laying in bed, both staring at the ceiling and being silent. Until now.

 

“I don't know. It's weird to have such strong feelings about it, you know?” Teddy's eyes were puffy and red-rimmed from crying so much throughout the day. “It's not even the pregnancy hormones. It's just... it's silly, but they were kind of my relationship goal... They had the strongest and best relationship I've ever witnessed. If they can't make it...” she didn't want to say the rest out loud. She wouldn't have been able to anyway. The fear she felt gripping at her insides was cutting off her air supply. She swallowed and forced oxygen into her lungs before she continued. “Back when we first met and I realized that it was getting serious for me, at family dinner, I would look at them and wonder, you know? They had been together for over two years back then and they were so damn crazy about each other still. I wondered if we would make it that far and I hoped that we would be like them.”

 

Daryl's eyebrows rose in surprise upon hearing her words. “For real? You wondered 'bout that?” It was like she was in his mind, because back in the day, he had looked at Billy and Maggie and had wondered about the exact same things. And it was why he had been scared shitless by the divorce news.

 

“Hearing about them considering a divorce, it scares the living daylights out of me. Hearing it evoked this insane and irrational fear inside of me, I can't even explain.”

 

“Ain't gotta... Guess it was the same for me. Wanted to come home right away and be with ya. It's stupid.”

 

“No, it's not.” Teddy looked up at him with a frown marring her beautiful features.

 

“We ain't gotta worry 'bout nothing, darlin'. We ain't them.”

 

“We're not them, yet. What if in two years from now-”

 

“Stop. We ain't their clones or shit like that. We might have wanted what they had back then, but we made our own thing. It's different from theirs. We're different. Always have been. Just think about it. They were able to spend weeks apart, only talking on the phone, while she was back here on the farm. It was just a fucking thirty minute drive. If that woulda been you and me, I would have taken that drive every goddamn day, and happily so.” Daryl argued. “Hell, we can barely stand to be apart for the couple of hours we gotta work every day. They've always been more independent, or whatever you wanna call it.”

 

“True.”

 

“And they never fight. Ain't sayin' that fighting is good, we ain't perfect with that shit either, but at least we let it all out and get it over with. Those two eat it all up and keep it in until one of 'em explodes and the other one just takes it and it all drags out forever.”

 

“Right.” Teddy agreed with another mono-syllabic answer.

 

“And they never shoulda stayed on that farm. Ain't got no real privacy there.”

 

“They always have a ton of babysitters, though.”

 

“Yeah, but they always have everybody all up in their business, too.”

 

“That would drive me crazy. Billy hates it too, but he stayed for Maggie.”

 

“That's what I'm sayin', maybe he shouldn't have. Should have fought her harder on that issue... Who knows.” Daryl shrugged slightly.

 

“Maggie said they haven't had sex in over a year. Can you imagine? Sleeping in the same bed, but never being intimate at all anymore?”

 

“That's fucking crazy.” Daryl scoffed. He had no idea how that was even possible. Sure, him and Teddy didn't have sex every day anymore, sometimes they would go a whole week or more without making love, but they always compensated one way or another. One night they would lay in each others arms and caress each other while they talked about their day. Another night they would share some lingering kisses, before Teddy turned her back on him so they could go to sleep. And of course there were nights they would tease each other and get each other going a bit, without having it end in intercourse or orgasms. No matter what, there was always something there. “You sure they're still sleeping in the same bed?”

 

“I don't know. Maybe they don't. I didn't ask. God, I'm so scared. I'm scared that all of that will happen to us when the baby is born. Are we making a mistake? Maybe we shouldn't have tried for another one?”

 

“Now you're starting to piss me off, Teddy, so stop. Ain't sayin' it one more time after this: We. Ain't. Them.”

 

“Sorry. You're right. We're not them. Our relationship and our circumstances are different. But it still reminds you that there is really no guarantee, you know?”

 

“Yeah, but don't focus on that. Focus on what we're doin' tomorrow.” A big, broad smile graced Daryl's ruggedly handsome features now. Tomorrow they would find out the sex of their new baby. They were hoping it would work and that the baby would be in a good position to see what's going on between its legs.

 

“Actually, I've been thinking...”

 

The smile turned into a frown. “What? Ya don't wanna know?”

 

“I think I might not want to know. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond curious.”

 

“Then what's the problem?”

 

“If it's a girl, I'm scared that I'll, I don't know... put up a wall? Like, already put some emotional distance between myself and the baby, so I won't get hurt again when she immediately gravitates towards you, too? I mean, yeah, it can happen with a boy, too, but, you know, the experiences with Kenzie kind of make me wary. I love her so much, you know that, and the past couple of weeks have been so wonderful with her.... But I'm sure as soon as the baby is born she will go back to me being her least favorite person.”

 

“Nah, I think things are gon' stay better. With the baby, the world ain't gonna revolve around her all the time no more. It's gonna teach her some humility. She's gonna be less spoiled. She's gonna learn to share and to take the backseat every once in a while. It's gonna be good for her, I'm sure. I think it might make her less angry and everything. Not at first, maybe... I dunno how to explain it, but I think givin' her a little brother or sister is the best thing for her.”

 

“Well, if you put it like that... maybe you're right. I don't know... If Dr. Hainesworth would only tell you the sex of the baby, do you think you can keep the secret? Without slipping up? I'll probably cave towards the end of the pregnancy, but until then... Do you think you'll be able to completely keep it to yourself?”

 

“Would give it ma best shot, but I ain't sure. Maybe 'he' or 'she' would start to slip out when we talk about the baby. Man, but I really wanna know.”

 

“Yeah... I'll tell the doctor to write it down for you, alright? And then you'll give it your best shot to keep it to yourself. You can do whatever you set your mind to, so if anyone will be able to keep the gender a secret, it will be you. And if it slips out, then it slips out...” Teddy decided. While they had been talking, her fingers had had a mind of their own and her fingertips had started combing through Daryl's thick, bushy pubic hair, absentmindedly playing around and teasing him down there.

 

“Alright, sounds good.” Daryl's broad grin was back, but his voice sounded a bit breathier than before. He had been able to just enjoy her gentle caresses until a minute ago without turning into a horndog, but now her fingernails were crawling along a sensitive spot right at the root of his dick, and it made him more aware of his wife's naked, soft and voluptuous pregnancy-curves being pressed against his own naked body.

 

They had already made love more than once that day, but Daryl thought that he would totally be up for another round. He moved to lay on his side and surprised Teddy with a steamy, urgent kiss. His hand rubbed over her rounded belly before he moved it up and palmed her right breast. Teddy pulled away with a sheepish smile. “I'm sorry, baby... I'm exhausted... Shit, sometimes I forget what I'm doing and now you have to suffer.”

 

“Nah, it's alright. Don't worry. Was a busy day. In more ways than one.” he grinned and gently tweaked her nipple.

 

“True.” Teddy laughed, before she grew serious again. She cradled his face in her hands and traced her thumbs through his scruff while she looked directly into his gorgeous pale blue eyes. “Just in case it wasn't clear throughout the day, I love you, I'm so incredibly crazy about you and I am forever happy and grateful to have you in my life, to be able to call you my husband and to have you love me back.”

 

Daryl didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. Teddy was able to read his facial expressions pretty well by now, and even if that wouldn't have been the case, his glistening eyes and the soulful kiss she got in return, told her all she needed to know. He felt the same way she did.

* * *

The next morning after Teddy was done with her clients, she drove to Billy and Daryl's garage. She didn't just want to be there for Maggie, but for her twin brother, too, of course.

 

Her heart broke for him when they hugged in greeting and she felt him trembling. His fingertips dug into her back almost painfully and he held on to her for dear life. “Why in the world didn't you call? Why didn't you reach out and talk to me?” Teddy wanted to ask, but she refrained from doing so. It wouldn't help matters and also, she knew exactly why he hadn't reached out. It was his MO. Unlike her, he always kept everything to himself and bottled up inside until he reached his breaking point and exploded in mean and hurtful ways. So instead of asking, she just held him and soothingly rubbed his back for a long while. The phone rang on his desk, but neither of them cared. When it stopped, Billy pulled back and quickly wiped at his eyes. “It's good to see ya, Teddy Bear.” he cleared his throat with a slightly embarrassed smile. “I've been wanting to call, but I got swamped in here...”

 

“How are you holding up?” she asked as she sweetly wiped away one wet drop by his eye he had missed.

 

“You know... Alright, I guess. Kinda glad the cat's out of the bag. We told everyone now.”

 

“Yeah, you must feel a whole ton lighter, huh?”

 

“In a way, yes. But then again, no, not really. It's all fucked up.” Billy sighed and rubbed his tired, red-rimmed eyes anew. “Wanna sit?”

 

“Yeah.” Teddy walked over to the chair in front of his desk, and for the first time, Billy noticed her pregnant belly.

 

“Oh man, look at you.” he smiled. “So round already.” he put his hands on Teddy's belly, knowing that he didn't need to ask permission first. “You look fucking adorable pregnant, you know that?”

 

“Thanks.” Teddy laughed. “This is the best stage. I'm trying to enjoy it as much as I can.” They finally sat down and Teddy sighed. “So,... what happened?”

 

“I don't even know. It just happened. We spent less and less time together... Everything is still amazing, when we're with the kids, you know? But when it's just the two of us... The night it all became clear to me was the first night we had to ourselves in a while. When I was still at work I realized, that I didn't even look forward to that evening, as shitty as that sounds. But I didn't think about it too much, because I had a huge load of paperwork to do and I thought I was just in a bad mood. But then I was home with Maggie and we were alone in our room and suddenly it was so awkward. Like we were strangers. We both looked at each other and we didn't have the slightest idea what to do with one another. Fucking, or doing anything sex-related at all, just seemed wrong.”

 

“Jesus Christ... I can't even imagine.” Teddy shuddered visibly.

 

“It was the worst feeling in the world. I looked at her, I saw the woman I fell in love with, I still love her, but it's so fucking different than it used to be. Back in the day, I would look at her and my heart would feel like it would burst any minute. My hands were itching to hold her and all I wanted was to have her smile at me and have her near me and all that stuff, but now... I love her for giving us our sons, I love her for raising them and doing a fucking amazing job at it, but I guess that's it. I'd still fuck her, I'm a guy, but... the connection is gone. The desire and lust for her, I guess, is gone, and you know what? It fucking sucks. It hurts, because I thought we would last forever and now this big part of my life is over and I don't know how to start again and rearrange my life, you know? It's goddamn overwhelming.”

 

“I'm sorry. Don't you think that maybe all you need is a break? Some time apart, maybe seeing other people and trying to figure out if maybe there's another chance or if you're both happier with someone else?”

 

“I don't know, Teddy. We are still in the middle of trying to figure things out. We're talking about divorcing, but we're both a little wary of the whole thing. Maybe all we need is a break, like we said, but at this point, neither one of us knows. We don't know what to do yet. It takes time. The only thing I do know is, that I need to move out of there. They're not asking me to, but I wanna.”

 

“That's understandable. Look, we don't have a guest room or anything, but the couch is yours if you need a place to stay.”

 

“Thanks, but that's alright. I'm looking at a couple of places in the next couple of days and until then I stay at the farm. We don't wanna make it too abrupt. The twins don't understand it yet, but we have to prepare Johnny.”

 

“Does he know?”

 

“No, not yet. But I think he knows that something is up. Kids are smart.”

 

“And they can be more perceptive than the Dixon brothers.” Teddy added.

 

“Amen.” Billy laughed humorlessly.

 

They talked a while longer, but then they both had to get back to work. “If you need anything, please call.” Teddy told him as they hugged goodbye, already knowing that he wouldn't.

 

“Promise.” Billy nodded.

 

They both knew he was lying. Teddy loved her brother dearly, but he was just as flawed as she was. She knew that he was not big on keeping promises he made to her, so she wasn't expecting to hear from him anytime soon.

* * *

_Oh he's good... Gotta give him that,_ Teddy thought as she watched Daryl tear up the small piece of paper in his hands, before he tossed it into the trashcan by the cot Teddy was laying on. His expression was blank, like he had been reading a boring article in a magazine instead of having learned about the sex of their new baby just now. However, he wasn't able to stop a small smile from tugging at the corners of his lips... It was a happy occasion after all.

 

“Alright.” Dr. Hainesworth's voice distracted Teddy from studying her husband's face. “It looks like everything is going according to plan. From what I can see mother and baby are doing well. Nothing to worry about, so if nothing pops up, I'll see you again in four weeks, okay?”

 

“Yes, sounds perfect. Thank you, Dr. Hainesworth.” Teddy and the female doctor shook hands, while Daryl was busying himself with wiping the gel off of Teddy's belly. Soon they were on their way to their car and Teddy didn't take her eyes off of Daryl. “Are you happy?”

 

“Hell yeah, I'm happy.” Daryl said and suppressed a grin. He knew his wife and he knew she was trying to guess by his reaction if their baby was going to be a boy or a girl. “Told ya, I'm happy no matter what as long as y'all are healthy.”

 

“Right.” Teddy sighed as she got into the car.

 

“What's the matter?” Daryl smirked. “Changed your mind? Want me to tell ya?”

 

“No. No, no...” Teddy tried to act casual. “I'm good. I stand by my decision. It's better if I don't know... For now, at least.”

 

Daryl had a hard time not to scoff at that.  _For now... already buildin' in a loophole, huh darlin'?_ He wasn't surprised though. He knew Teddy would never be able to last too much longer without wanting to know. He knew he would be able to tell her sooner rather than later. She would want to plan and get names ready and buy some new baby stuff in the right colors. That's just who she was. 

 

Much to his surprise, Teddy lasted three whole weeks. He had guessed that she wouldn't be able to go longer than a week without knowing, but he had underestimated her willpower at least a little bit. Needless to say, he wasn't surprised at all when one night, a couple of days before Christmas, Teddy came walking over to the couch with a bowl of potato chips in her hands and with an exasperated sigh leaving her mouth. “Okay, I'm weak. I can't stand wondering all day every day anymore. Just tell me, please.”

 

“Tell you what?” Daryl played dumb, earning himself a pinch from his wife.

 

“You know very well what I mean, Daryl Dixon. Just tell me.”

 

“And you're absolutely sure, darlin'? Once you know, you know. Ain't no going back.”

 

“I'm aware of that. I made my choice. I wanna know. So, please... tell me.”

 

“You know, I wanted to be the one to tell ya you're pregnant, but this is kinda fun, too. That I get to tell you what we're havin'.” he mused and wasn't able to keep himself from grinning at Teddy's impatient growl.

 

“Daryl!”

 

“Alright, alright. Keep your pants on, sweetheart.” Daryl slid his hand to the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a little kiss. “Okay, Imma tell ya... and I ain't joking. What I'm about to say next is the real deal, yeah?”

 

“Yeah.” Teddy took a very deep breath. She started shaking as her nerves suddenly got the better of her. Daryl stroked his thumb along the back of her neck, trying to soothe her as he smiled at her. They were still close, their noses were touching and Daryl's smile widened so much that his face hurt.

 

“We're havin' a little boy, Teddy.” he grinned from ear to ear at the same time as his eyes filled with tears. He knew how happy she would be and it already touched him deeply. 

 

He had expected a strong reaction, but what he got exceeded his expectations. Teddy gasped loudly and within a second, tears were spilling down her cheeks. “Really?” she pressed out with difficulty as her emotions were already on the brink of overwhelming her.

 

“Yeah, for real. Congrats, darlin'.” he smiled happily.

 

And that was it for Teddy. Her face crumbled and she launched herself into his arms and started sobbing loudly and uncontrollably. Her whole body shook hard as she wrapped her whole body around her husband. Daryl chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. “Are ya happy?” he asked, just to be on the safe side. Teddy nodded vigorously. She wasn't able to talk, her sobs were in firm control and wouldn't let her get a single word out, but yeah, she was happy. Daryl pressed his mouth against her hair, wetting it a little when his own tears fell. He knew she had desperately wished for a boy, so to see her getting her wish was amazing. But it wasn't only that. He was finally able to let his own happiness show and celebrate with her. He was beyond excited as well. A little boy. Now they would have both, a sweet little prince  **and** princess, and their family would be complete in the best way.

* * *

** Thank you for reading. **

 

** Due to lack of reader interest, a lot of hateful comments and Christmas coming up, it might be the last update for a while. Maybe I'll start something new soon, but I'm not sure yet. **

 

** Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment and kudos. It is very much appreciated. **

 

** Merry X-mas **

 

 


	54. Chapter 54

Merle quickly checked his looks in the reflection in the window of the vet's office. He rubbed his hand over his head, even though he always kept his hair so short that there wasn't much left to fix (or screw up, for that matter) and straightened his black shirt. With a dismayed expression he scratched at a dried mud stain by his shoulder, silently wishing he would have taken the time to change into another shirt. Yeah, he worried about that kind of shit now and he called himself a pussy for it. It took some getting used to to being worried about making a good impression. He hated it, but at the same time he didn't care. Having a crush on a woman does weird things to a man, he figured. _Love makes of the wisest man a fool... Ain't that the goddamn truth,_ Merle thought with an audible scoff while he stepped up to the door, knocked once and then entered.

 

Carol hid an amused smirk as she focused back on her paperwork. Ever since she had taken over the business from Hershel Greene, Merle had come in to see her every day. She wasn't able to deny that she enjoyed it immensely, because she had felt the instant attraction between them as well. However, Merle had not made a move so far, except for some flirtation, and since she had all the time in the world, she wasn't making it easy for him by taking the first step. For weeks now, every day she wondered if today would be the day that the handsome Mr. Dixon would show some balls and ask her out.

 

“Hello, Merle.” she greeted him without looking up from the chart she was working on.

 

“My brother called last night.” Merle grinned instead of saying hello. Carol was used to that by now.

 

“From your expression I assume that it was good news?” she gave him a little smile. On the inside her belly was clenching and being all fluttery from that damn big smile Merle was wearing.

 

“Hell yeah. Told me that I'm getting a lil' nephew this time. He's over the damn moon.”

 

“And so are you.” Carol let her smile widen. “Congratulations. Babies are always a blessing. And you are a great uncle to all the little boys around here. And your niece of course.”

 

“They're some good kids.” Merle smiled, before he cleared his throat and shuffled his feet a little. “So... Me getting a nephew... kinda calls for a celebration, I think.”

 

“Yeah, maybe.” Carol agreed casually with a smile. On the inside she was holding her breath, though. It was going to happen, she could feel it. And not only did she feel it, she was able to see it, too, because Merle Dixon was honest to God blushing. He lowered his head and rubbed his neck uncomfortably as he hemmed and hawed for a couple of seconds.

 

“Umm... hmm... so... “ Merle felt like he was choking on his own words. It made him anxious and angry, and thankfully, it gave him back some confidence. “So, we goin' out or what?” he spat out in his usual, abrasive manner.

 

Carol was not offended, quite the opposite, she was unable to keep a little laugh from escaping. “Took you long enough, Mr. Dixon. I was starting to lose hope.”

 

Merle's eyes widened noticeably and his mouth fell open a little as he was taken aback by her positive reaction. “I take it that's a yes then?”

 

“It's a yes.” Carol confirmed with a happy smile.

 

“Tonight?”

 

“I'm busy tonight, but what about tomorrow? What did you have in mind?” she asked.

 

“The hell do I know?” Merle scoffed. “Goin' out for a meal, that's a thing right? My brother never took his girl nowhere, so...” he didn't finish his sentence when he realized that he was telling her that he had asked Daryl for help. Merle felt so out of his comfort zone, that he was acting way more aggressively than he wanted to towards her. It was the old Dixon standard mode. When in doubt, be angry.

 

“That's a thing people do, yes.” Carol smirked. She wasn't scared or wary of Merle. She knew an abusive son of a bitch when she saw one, and Merle Dixon wasn't one of those sorry excuses for human beings. He was just a little socially inept, maybe even a little awkward at times. At least towards her. She knew about his colorful past, but it had been five years since he had turned over a new leaf. She believed that he had changed for the better. She knew people were able to change, because she had changed as well.

 

“So... ummm...” Merle stuttered, having no idea where to go from here. He suddenly had some new-found respect for Daryl. Merle always used to be the talker, always knowing what to do and say, and he had had more experience with women than Daryl back in the day. He had no idea how Daryl, quiet, shy and awkward, quite inexperienced Daryl, had managed to snatch up Teddy. And without making a complete fool of himself in the process.

 

Carol decided to put him out of his misery. He had taken the first step after all, so now it was up to her to help along a little. “You're gonna pick me up at 7 pm, you're gonna wear a nice shirt and we're gonna have a nice meal at River Street Tavern.” she explained while she scribbled down her address on a piece of paper.

 

Merle was relieved. River Street Tavern wasn't some kind of fancy restaurant. They served the best wings and beer in town and the atmosphere was laid back and casual. That he should be comfortable with, he figured. He took the paper from her and glanced at the address before he slipped it into his pants pocket. “Alright. Tomorrow at 7 then. You outta here now?”

 

“Yes, I have an appointment, so I'm closing up early.”

 

“Mhm... well, you have a nice night Miss Carol.” he felt kind of stupid about it afterwards, but he tipped his imaginary hat with a grin before he turned around and approached the door.

 

“I will see you tomorrow at 7 pm sharp, Mr. Dixon.” Carol called after him.

 

When the door closed behind him, Merle was finally able to breathe freely again. He had the biggest grin on his face as he took a deep breath and then descended the couple of stairs down from the porch, whistling some tune that inexplicably came to mind. _Got myself a date with one fine lady. Ol' Merle's still got it._

* * *

It was Friday night, so Teddy was doing laundry, sorting through the dirty clothes from the workweek and hoping to get at least some of the grease stains out of Daryl's pants. But first, she always had to empty out his pockets. Her husband was the worst about doing that himself, before he tossed his clothes into the hamper.

 

Soon she had amassed a nice big pile consisting of chewing gum wrappers, change, a small screwdriver, wingnuts and receipts, nothing she wasn't used to. But then, when she reached into the pockets of the last pair of pants that had been at the bottom of the hamper, she did find something unexpected. She tried to smooth out the crinkled envelope as best as she could and immediately felt her blood pressure rise, when she realized what it was.

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she grumbled under her breath as she tossed the pants aside and walked (or more like slightly waddled) straight back to the dining area, where Daryl was looking through a motorcycle magazine and enjoying a coffee after work. “Look what I found.” she slammed the envelope down on the open magazine. “The check you were supposed to mail to the gas company on Monday. Really Daryl?! I ask you to do one thing, one tiny little thing...” she started to rant without letting him get a word in edgewise. “All you had to do was to drive up to a mailbox and put it in there. I didn't ask you to spend an hour at the post office. Hell, you wouldn't even have to get out of the car if you would stop close enough to roll the window down and toss it into the damn box. Was that really too much to ask? Do I need to stick a note to your lunchbox, like a child? Awesome. Good job, Daryl. Thanks for your help. Now I can spend five hours on the phone with them, begging them not to cut us off. Just what every mother and wife enjoys doing on her kid-free night, doing laundry and spending time I never get back on the phone with some guy from India who barely speaks English. Great, just great.”

 

It took Daryl some effort to keep a straight face. He loved when she got mad. She was so cute and sexy and adorable, all at the same time. Since they were alone, he decided to add some fuel to the fire.

 

“Pfff,... you done?” Daryl scoffed in a bored and unimpressed tone of voice. “Fucking relax... just pay it online, as usual.”

 

Teddy actually gaped at him for a second, but then she clenched her fists, so hard her knuckles turned white, as a dangerous fire flared up in her eyes. Daryl smirked on the inside, he was literally able to hear her grinding her teeth in anger. “Pay it online? What goddamn rock are you fucking living under? Remember that we don't have an internet connection right now? Because they are working on the goddamn lines? Do you even listen to anything I fucking say? That's why I asked you to take the check with you and throw it into the damn mailbox on your way to work. That's why I can't take care of it online real quick. Shit, I asked you to mail this on Monday, now it's goddamn Friday night! You know how fucking anal they are about payments.” Teddy shook her head in anger and disbelief, then she snatched the check back up and stormed (again, more like quickly waddled) towards the front door, where she grabbed her purse and keys from the hook, before she yanked the door open.

 

Daryl frowned in confusion. “Teddy? What the fuck are you doing?”

 

“What do you think? I'm going to send the check.”

 

“What? Girl, it's Friday night...” Daryl realized that things were taking a weird turn. This was not at all how he had hoped and imagined this would go. He had hoped for a little shouting match which usually ended in some good, hot, old-fashioned make-up sex... Hard, rough and passionate.

 

“Oh, and you think the mailbox is closed, or what? God, just... leave me alone.” Teddy mumbled and slammed the door behind her, leaving a dumbfounded Daryl behind.

 

“She's really mad?!” he murmured out loud to himself, kind of unable to believe that this had really, truly upset her. He was pretty sure that the gas company wouldn't shut off their gas tomorrow. Knowing Teddy they weren't even close to being behind on payment, she almost always paid their bills way before the deadline. Maybe it was her hormones? It was a possibility, she was 20 weeks pregnant after all. So far she had done pretty well with everything, so Daryl had forgotten all about mood swings, but it looked they were starting up now. Or maybe something else was going on. She had been pretty tired the past couple of days. Pretty quiet, too, now that he thought about it. They hadn't had much time to talk, because she would come upstairs after her classes and only murmur a goodnight to him after she had slipped into bed and kissed him. She was working too much for sure. Not just her job, but with the cutting coupons shit, too. It was ridiculous how time-consuming that stuff was, but it did save them money they really needed now.

 

He scratched his head while a little bewildered grunt left his mouth, but then he got a move on. Not wanting to piss her off any further, he decided to get dinner started. If she wasn't feeling well she sure would appreciate getting off her feet as quickly as possible. Daryl went over to the fridge and checked the meal plan that was pinned to the metal door via magnet. He wouldn't have minded cooking, but he still was relieved to read that she had planned some casserole she had prepped and frozen the previous weekend. He only had to pop that in the oven and wait for it to be done.

 

_Or maybe I should cook somethin'..._ He thought as he put the casserole in the oven. Yeah, Teddy's cooking skills had improved over the years, but she still wasn't very good by long shot. Salads she was great at, just like she knew how to put together some great sandwiches, but the rest? It was still pretty mediocre. He was tempted to raid the fridge and make something decent, but then he realized that he would probably make things worse. Tossing the casserole out and making something else would sure make her go ballistic tonight, so some funny-looking, runny chicken thingy it was. Might just be the right punishment for riling her up even more. 

 

Teddy was back 15 minutes later, but the ride to the next mailbox apparently had done nothing to make her calm down. She didn't even look at him as she came back in. Daryl didn't like being ignored by her one bit, and he was cursing himself for forgetting to mail the damn check. He didn't want to be like a puppy dog who was desperate for a little affection from its human, but whenever Teddy gave him the silent treatment, he caved within mere seconds. Explosive anger he could deal with, but this silent and ignoring him shit, that drove him insane. 

 

Slowly he approached her where she stood at the kitchen sink, washing her hands. He put his hands on her waist and slipped them to the front where they gently rubbed her swollen belly. He rested his chin on her shoulder and sweetly kissed her neck. “What's up? Little one givin' ya trouble?”

 

“No, Daryl. You are.” Teddy spat while she swatted at his hands and squirmed out of his embrace. “Don't touch me. Make yourself useful and set the table.”

 

“Hey!” Daryl raised his voice. “Yeah, I forgot to mail the fucking check, but that still don't give you the right to act like a fucking bitch to me.”

 

Teddy took a deep breath and placed the plates she had retrieved from the cupboard back inside, none too gently. “Fuck off. You can have dinner by yourself. Eat straight out the dish for all I care.”

 

“No, thanks. I'd rather starve before I eat that funky shit ya cooked up.” 

 

Teddy didn't reply. Not verbally. She left the room, flipping him off when she walked past him.

 

Daryl was very tempted to grab her wrist and yank her back to face him. His palms were itching. He would love to spank the shit out of her right now. Maybe it would help to get her out of this funk she was in today.  _A good, hard lay may be what you need, darlin'._ Daryl was more than ready to give it to her. In fact he had already taken a couple of steps towards the bedroom to follow her, grab her and kiss her silly, but he stopped himself. He was 99% sure that she would actually end up slapping him this time. She had never ever done that, but today he had a feeling she would. He knew she would feel terrible about it afterward, and so would he, for having driven her to that point. Also, he wouldn't fancy getting slapped by her. That would trigger all kinds of memories he had started to put behind him after his father had died. Forcing her to face him now wouldn't be helping anybody. He would have to give her her space for a little while. 

 

He wasn't able to wait too long, though. After only a couple of minutes he carefully opened the bedroom door. He peeked inside, frowning when he found it empty. He stepped inside and was about to call out for her, when he heard quiet noises. “Teddy?” he walked towards the bathroom, but it was dark and (he assumed) empty as well. “Teddy?” he asked again and looked down when he heard a sound next to him. “What the hell?” The door to the closet was slightly ajar. He opened it wider, and when the inside was illuminated a little by the light from the bedroom, he felt his heart starting to hurt. There was his wife sitting on the floor, tucked into a corner inside the dark closet, crying by herself. This wasn't like her and he now knew for sure that it hadn't been the unpaid gas bill that had her this upset. 

 

“Oh darlin'...” Daryl cooed with a little sigh as he entered the dark closet and sat down next to her. He put one arm around her back, then he pushed his other arm under her knees and then he lifted her into his lap where he cradled her against his chest in a protective embrace. Teddy, who was sobbing and hiccuping quietly, but quite intensely, buried her face into his chest and leaned heavily against his solid body. “Talk to me.” Daryl requested. “I still ain't no mind reader.”

 

“I'm sorry. I'm just so tired. I didn't sleep more than 8 hours this whole week.”

 

“What? Why? What's going on?” This was news to Daryl. As soon as Teddy had come to bed, she had been out like a light. And he usually fell asleep right after her. Didn't seem like she had tossed or turned or anything, he would have woken up from that. He felt her hesitate, so he coaxed her some more. “Come on, Teddy. What is it?”

 

“I think I need therapy again.” she cried against his chest.

 

Daryl squinted down at her while the puzzle pieces started to put themselves together inside his head. He didn't say anything, though. He wanted to hear it from her.

 

“I know I'm being stupid. I know my fear is irrational, but I'm not able to work through it. It just keeps coming. Ever since you told me it was a boy, I lay awake at night and I worry so much. I'm so scared, Daryl. I tried to rationalize, I tried to focus on the present, but it's not working. What if something happens to him, too? What if I'm not supposed to have a boy? I thought I would be over this by now. It makes me so mad that I'm not... that it keeps coming up with every pregnancy.”

 

“It ain't stupid, Teddy.” Daryl tried to calm her down and he really meant it, too. “What you went through was goddamn awful. Told you before, that I ain't got no idea how you're still standing after that. If that had been me and Kenzie, I woulda fucking crumbled. Wouldn't be here no more. I mean it when I say you're the strongest person I know. Not only were ya strong enough to heal and keep going, you went ahead and gave us our little turtle. And now you're doin' it all again so we can have this perfect little boy. And that's exactly what he's gonna be. Perfect. Just like our girl. You bein' scared of losin' him after losin' Milo... that's just normal. I don't think there's anyone out there who wouldn't freak out. I'd freak out, too.”

 

“Really? You don't think I'm overreacting or something?”

 

“Hell no. Havin' a boy is one of your biggest dreams. You're about to have it come true, of course you're worried 'bout havin' it taken away again. Don't worry about what I think. I got your back, darlin'. Just wish you woulda talked to me. You didn't have to go through it alone all week.”

 

“I was worried you'd think I was being silly.”

 

“Come on, Teddy...”

 

“I know... I know, but I couldn't help it.” Teddy sniffed. “I'm sorry I was so awful to you. I've been worried about the baby and about money and then that check you didn't send to the gas company. I just pictured us sleeping on the floor in front of the fireplace so we wouldn't freeze to death and I just snapped.”

 

“I would have moved the sofa closer to the fireplace for you.” Daryl deadpanned in an attempt to lighten her mood again. “No floor for you.” he smirked when he felt her slap his chest half-heartedly.

 

“Oh shut up...” she was still crying, but his comment had coaxed a small laugh out of her. “Are we going to be okay, Daryl?”

 

“Sure. We always make it work. It's what we do. Try not to worry too much, darlin'.” Daryl sweetly pressed his mouth against the top of her head and tightened his embrace on her. “Love ya.” he murmured before they fell silent again and he let her cry in his arms some more. He wasn't in a hurry to get out of there with her. Somehow it was soothing to hide out with her inside their dark closet. But when his butt started to cramp, he knew it was time to face the world again and to get some food into her. “Ya really want the casserole?” he asked carefully with a cute little smile once they were back in the kitchen.

 

“No, not really.”

 

“Sandwich?”

 

“Tuna salad with potato chips?” Teddy's face lit up at her own idea. Daryl made the best tuna salad ever. 

 

“Pickle on the side?” he smirked knowingly.

 

“Oh yes, please.” Teddy nodded vigorously. Suddenly she was starving.

 

“Sit down, put your feet up. I got you covered.” he kissed her soundly and send her on her way with a little smack on her round butt. It wasn't a spanking, but it was satisfying nonetheless. Especially since her curves had finally started to jiggle again. He had really missed that since her last pregnancy.

 

“I really don't deserve you.” Teddy mumbled on her way to the couch, feeling even more awful for the way she had treated him earlier. Unfortunately she still wasn't the perfect wife, and she probably never would be. She had accepted that by now, and so had Daryl. 

 

Two tuna salad sandwiches and two big dill pickles later, Teddy fell asleep with her head in Daryl's lap. With him guarding her sleep after she had come clean, she was finally able to sleep for more than just two hours. At midnight Daryl carried her into their bedroom and curled himself around her with his hand resting on her belly.  _Halfway there,_ he thought with a close-mouthed little smile.  _20 more weeks to go... Can't wait 'til you're here, little buddy._

* * *

**Thank you for reading.**

 

**I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean that I was never going to write another chapter again. I just didn't know how long it would take for me to get motivated to write again.**

 

**Let me know what you think.**

 

**Thank you to everyone who spoke up and left an awesome and kind message. I hope you enjoyed this little update.**

 


	55. Chapter 55

Teddy squirmed a little against the carefully arranged pillows, she was leaning against. One of the pillow cases had a zipper that was poking her lower back, so she tried to move away from that.

 

Daryl put his hand on her bare foot that was resting at the edge of the mattress and looked up at her in concern. “Need to move? Can't do it once I start.”

 

“I think I'm good.” Teddy pressed out under her breath as she settled back against the wedge of pillows that was keeping her upper body elevated. “How's it look down there?”

 

A little laugh burst out of Daryl at her question and he popped his head back up to look at her again. “Looks just fine, darlin'. Ain't gotta do this.”

 

“Yes, we do. Just because I can't see and reach right anymore, doesn't mean that I have to look like Cousin Itt down there.”

 

“Like that's ever gonna happen.” Daryl chuckled as he reached for Teddy's electric bikini trimmer. That would be the easy part. Trimming her curls with that thing was child's play. The hard part would be when he needed that pretty sharp razor to clean up the edges and along the creases of her legs, and to shave her soft pussy lips. He was terrified of nicking her and making her bleed down there. Teddy wasn't worried about a thing, though. She trusted him with her life. She was as relaxed as ever as she reclined against the pillows and spread her legs, with her ass being perched right at the edge of the bed. Daryl was on his knees on the floor with his equipment spread out around him. “Alright. Ready?”

 

“Are you?” Teddy laughed when she noticed his deep, shaky exhale.

 

“Like you wouldn't be nervous if I'd ask ya to shave my balls.” Daryl retorted.

 

“Gosh, I'd never do that.” Teddy giggled. “They're so fucking delicate... and all that wrinkly skin... I don't know why men do that anyway. I hate that bald look on guys. Makes them look like a baby elephant down there.”

 

“Well, good thing you don't have to worry about that with me. Ain't nobody got time for fucking man-scaping.”

 

“Thank God.” Teddy agreed before the noise of the trimmer cut off their conversation. She closed her eyes, rested her hands on her belly and enjoyed. It was nice to get pampered, and hey, he was touching her quite a lot, too. Although he was touching her in a non-sexual way, it still felt good. It was a pretty intimate thing after all. Actually, while it was nerve-wracking for Daryl to let a razor slide along her core, for Teddy it held kind of a thrill to feel him so carefully moving the sharp blade against her most sensitive parts.

 

Daryl worked slowly and thoroughly. His brows were furrowed deeply in concentration as he worked with surprisingly steady hands. As nervous as he was about inflicting injury on her, he couldn't deny that he kind of liked doing this. It showed how much trust she had in him. And he loved seeing the freshly shaven parts, which looked so smooth and soft, like they were made out of skin-colored satin. Even more now that she was pregnant and fucking glowing.

 

After the razor had carefully passed over her outer labia one last time, Daryl finally drew oxygen into his lungs again. He carefully cleaned the remaining bits of shaving gel off of her with a warm, wet washcloth, then he gently patted her dry with a clean towel. He sat back on his haunches and admired his handiwork for a second before he reached for the jar with the coconut oil. “How the fuck does that get ya wet, sweetheart?” he smirked. Of course he had noticed some glistening going on near her opening when he had shaved and washed her. It had been the same the last time he had done this for her, but he was surprised about it once again.

 

“You really have to ask?” Teddy's question was accompanied by a quiet laugh.

 

“Not really...” Daryl shrugged his broad shoulders. “But I want ya to tell me anyway.” Without consciously noticing it was happening, his voice slipped into his more dominant tone. It was still soft, yet demanding, and Teddy's body immediately reacted accordingly.

 

Both of them were suddenly hit with the realization that something big was happening in that moment. They hadn't “played” in forever. Not their version of hardcore play. Neither one of them had felt the urge and they weren't missing it right now. Daryl had thought about wanting to give her a nice spanking here and there, when emotions had been running high, but in the end it hadn't happened. Maybe because in the back of his head he didn't want to hurt his pregnant wife, even though he knew she enjoyed it. If she wouldn't specifically ask for it, he wouldn't do it. But then again, they hadn't done it since way before she had gotten pregnant.

 

They hadn't done their softcore version of playing, either. Well, their softcore version was actually just their regular sex life, because Daryl was usually naturally dominant in bed, liking to restrain her with his own body, his own hands, etc, taking control of her pleasure and her orgasm and allowing her to shut off her busy mind and let herself go and feel. They had done that during her pregnancy with Kenzie, but during this one..., Overall there had been a slight shift in their sexual activities. He couldn't even really explain it to himself. He would maybe almost say that they were caught in some kind of lull, but wasn't that expression used when someone's sex life had turned to shit? It wasn't that. The sex they had was still good, really good, but it was different right now. Maybe it was because so much shit was happening around them and he was seeking more comfort in her. Maybe it was a remnant from his accident, he didn't know, but he had realized, that sexually he had been taking more from her than he had given, in pretty much the whole year that had passed. Ever since then, their sex had been lacking a bit of that exciting element it had always used to have, even with having a kid and all...

 

The dominant thing simply hadn't happened. Every time they had started fooling around with it, Daryl felt like he had to force himself into that role, like he really had to act and play in order to be that way, and that just wasn't him, and Teddy didn't want him to act, so it had never played out anymore.

 

Right now, though, it had happened without him even realizing it at first. It had been so casual and subtle, that he thought he might have imagined it. But it had happened and the proof of that was not only the look on Teddy's face, but also the way his own body was reacting to it. Daryl was suddenly tingling all over. His whole body was filled with a deep and intense prickling sensation, from his groin, up to to the top of his head and all the way into the tip of his fingers and his toes. It was like something inside of him was coming alive.

 

They stared at each other in surprise for a long moment, then Daryl all of a sudden felt inexplicably shy. He let out a little laugh and averted his gaze with the cutest smile as the most endearing blush colored his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

 

Teddy bit her lip as she watched him with a happy grin. She adored him so much, it was just plain ridiculous. She could tell that he was unsure of himself and didn't know what to do now. It told her that he was caught as much by surprise as she was. It had taken over a year, but it had come back to him and he had slipped back into it naturally. No matter how brief it had been, it had happened.

 

“The oil, baby.” Teddy reminded him with a smile.

 

“Right.” he jumped back into action, grateful that Teddy was giving him something to do while he tried to sort out everything that was rushing through his mind right this moment. He unscrewed the jar, that contained the hardened coconut oil, and scooped some of it out, using a table spoon. His hands were always very warm, which made the oil liquify quickly. He tilted his hand and let the warm oil dribble all over the creases of her thighs and her pussy before he put his hands back on her and gently massaged it into the sensitive skin.

 

Teddy closed her eyes again and inhaled deeply. “Mmmmm...” she moaned quietly. “Well, knowing that you were gonna do that is definitely one of the reasons why I'm so... 'excited'...”

 

Daryl's thumbs stroked over her nether lips ever so gently, spreading the oil all around the shaved areas, but being mindful of not applying too much pressure in order to avoid causing irritation.

 

Teddy sighed deeply in bliss as a warm little shudder wracked her body. “I love when you're rough with me, but sometimes it's so nice when you touch me like this... all careful and soft and tender... like I could break any second...” She frowned when she realized that she couldn't really remember the last time he had done this... taking his time with her and focusing completely on her. Not that she was selfish and expected it all the time..., and he had taken care of her in other ways, but it seemed to have been a while since he had paid attention to her body like this... since he had touched her in such an unhurried and thorough manner. She hadn't even noticed that it hadn't happened, but now that he was doing it again, it felt like it had been a small eternity... and maybe it had been, she really wasn't able to tell.

 

Out of the blue, fear and panic flooded her system as the names Billy and Maggie came to mind. _Is this how it started for them? How they drifted apart? They didn't even notice, either...No, we're fine. We still have sex, we're still intimate... we're okay. Stop thinking about this. Geez, this pregnancy is turning you into a worrywart._

 

“Where are you?” Daryl's soft voice helped her blend out the dark thoughts. He had felt her go still, which had let him know that her head was starting to get in the way.

 

“Sorry...” Teddy rubbed her eyes.

 

“Are ya tired?”

 

“I'm always tired.” Teddy laughed.

 

“Yeah. Stupid question.” Daryl laughed himself while he got up from the floor. He stepped closer to the bed until his knees touched it, then he leaned down and supported himself on his hands while he let his lips ghost over hers in a feather-light caress. “I wanna make ya feel good some more. Too tired for that? Or can ya stay awake a little longer?” he asked against her lips.

 

“I think I can manage...” Teddy smiled happily. “I wanna feel your hands on me some more, too.”

 

“Good.” Daryl smirked before he finally kissed her more firmly. He opened his mouth and let his tongue tease along her lips, but pulled away before she was able to let her own tongue touch his. “Take this off...” he chuckled and tugged at the black maternity top she was still wearing. “Imma clean up this mess real quick.”

 

But that's not all he did. Teddy's insides clenched in anticipation when she watched him retrieve the small key they kept taped to the underside of his nightstand drawer. “Uuhh,... the toy chest?” she grinned with excitement.

 

“Mhm.” Daryl smirked. “Let's hope it all ain't turned to dust yet.”

 

“It hasn't been that long...”

 

“Sure has.” Daryl argued. “Thought I was s'pposed to be the one with the crappy memory?” he winked at her before he walked into their closet where they hid the wooden box containing their various sex toys as well as other “equipment”. Daryl didn't have to dig through it to find what he was looking for. It sat right on top, still encased in its plastic packaging. Just another sign of how long they hadn't used all of this.

 

He grabbed the brand new, never used before anal plug and took it to the bathroom with him. He cut open the packaging and washed the toy thoroughly with hot water.

 

“Oh boy, Daryl... we haven't done anal in months, I think this might be too big to start-” Teddy was confused why Daryl would bring the new plug with him, which was about the same size in diameter as his erect cock. He knew to start small after a long break.

 

“Ain't for that, relax.” he was about to open his drawer once more, but he went over to her to give her a kiss first, quickly making her calm down again. Then he knelt on the floor and reached for their lube inside his drawer. She seemed pretty wet, but better safe than sorry.

 

The lube and the toy felt a little cold against the heated skin of her core. She jumped, but Daryl's soft lips against the inside of her thigh distracted her from the brief shock. “Sorry.” he murmured against the velvety texture of her skin before he pressed a sensual little kiss to it. He felt the muscles in her leg tremble when the tapered tip of the toy slowly slid into her wet pussy, guided by his practiced hand. “Don't hurt, does it?”

 

“No-oh God, baby!” she gasped when the pleasure of feeling his tongue lick across her clit invaded her senses. It was all he gave her and all he took from her in that moment. Just a little taste to satisfy his cravings. He knew if he ate her out his facial scruff would aggravate the shaved skin (she had reminded him of that about a million times in the past couple of years), so he would use another way to make her feel good... one she actually preferred over his tongue.

 

The plug slid home all the way until the rectangular rubber base sat firmly nestled against her opening. “This gonna be okay?” Daryl asked as he gently moved it a little bit.

 

“Yeah, it's smooth and not pressing directly against me... Oh... Damn...” she sighed when the tip of the plug hit a good spot while Daryl moved it around some. Before she was able to get lost in it, though, Daryl got up from his spot on the floor and lifted her into his arms bridal style. He didn't go anywhere, not yet, he remained standing in front of the bed, holding his 7-months-pregnant wife in his arms like it was nothing, and it had Teddy swooning over him and his strength. Daryl slightly lowered his head and smiled at her from up-close while the tip of his nose brushed hers. “Feel good?”

 

Teddy wasn't sure what exactly he was referring to, but since everything felt good right now, she simply nodded with a big smile on her lips. “Yeah.”

 

Daryl wordlessly looked into her eyes for a long moment, just drinking her in and enjoying the quiet, intimate moment with her. Of their own accord, his lips touched her forehead, then the tip of her nose before they attached themselves to her luscious mouth.

 

His kiss was deep and full of love, adoration and lust alike. It was goosebumps-inducing and Teddy shivered in his arms as she threaded one hand into his hair in order to keep him from breaking the kiss too soon. Blindly, Daryl carefully climbed on the bed with her and scooted forward on his knees until he felt like they had reached a spot close to the headboard. He deposited Teddy on the bed with so much care that she felt like the most precious and delicate thing in the world. Not a bad feeling to have, while she bore a slight resemblance to a beached whale, she thought with a giggle.

 

“What?” Daryl's expression was a curious one after he had pulled away from her addictive lips.

 

“Nothing. I'm just happy.”

 

“Yeah? Let's see if we can make ya a lil' happier.” Daryl slipped in behind her, making himself comfortable against the headboard before he pulled her back against his chest. A big glob of coconut oil was melted between his hands and dribbled on Teddy's big, round belly. Daryl placed his warm hands on it and rubbed it slowly. He couldn't wait for their son to be born, but he was really going to miss rubbing Teddy's baby belly like this. It was such an amazing feeling to touch it and know that their baby was growing in there. A grin broke out on Daryl's face soon, because of the best part... feeling his son kick. “Hey Rocky... hard at work in there, huh?” he held his hands still for a bit in the spots where he had felt some strong thumps against his palms.

 

“He was asleep until now. Must have felt Daddy's hands.” Teddy smiled, before she quickly added. “And stop calling him that. It's not gonna be his nickname. No Turtle Two, no Kidney Bean, no Rocky. He's gonna be our perfect little angel.”

 

“Our second one. Third one for you...” Daryl mused quietly. “Can't wait. Twelve more weeks to go.”

 

“Thirteen.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. Well, more like twelve and a half.”

 

“Maybe he's gonna come sooner. Like Turtle.”

 

“Wouldn't be too bad.” Teddy sighed.

 

“Yeah... the part that sucks 'gain is starting, hm?”

 

“Right on time.” Teddy breathed deeply when Daryl's slippery hands slid up her belly. “Mmmmmm...” he had his wife purring as he cupped her heavy breasts in his hands. Like everything else about her body, they were much bigger than during her previous pregnancy and Daryl had a hard time to stop squeezing and kneading them, once he had started.

 

Teddy's eyelids fluttered shut at the same time as her head fell to the side. Daryl's lips were on the side of her neck, pressing several soft, open-mouthed kisses against it. She hissed as Daryl carefully grasped her nipples between thumb and index finger, and pinched and rolled them gently. Teddy started squirming and grinding down on the plug. He was tonguing her earlobe, nibbling on it a little before he latched on to her neck and sucked in the same rhythm his fingers were using to manipulate the sensitive peaks of her round breasts. It felt amazing to her and she started to get lost in the sensations he was creating. Even though her muscles were trembling and tensing, she felt more relaxed than she had in months.

 

In fact, she got so into it, that she didn't notice one of his hands leaving her breasts and slipping back down her belly. He had to reach around and under it to get to his destination, but Teddy was gloriously unaware of the logistics of things. She only felt the pleasure shooting through her body in sharp little spurts as he massaged her breasts and worried a sensitive spot on her neck with his blunt teeth.

 

“OH!”

 

Daryl reveled in her loud gasp and the jump that had her body lurching back against his own. Her legs fell open wider, giving his oil-slicked fingers more room to work. She used the leverage of her feet against the mattress to move against his fingers, all the while pushing her torso against his like she was trying to press herself into him. Daryl loved how wanton she could be for him. He responded by squeezing and biting her a little harder as he stroked her clit up and down with firm and steady movements of his fore- and middle finger.

 

“Like that... like that... oh sweet Jesus, baby... Oh... fuck... yes.” Teddy was gasping and moaning, her muscles clamping down on the plug and squeezing the hell out of it while Daryl caressed her. A little scream was ripped from her, when he changed motions from up and down to side-to-side, and he hit a sensitive spot. Heat unfurled inside of her center, like from a tightly wound spool, and spiraled out throughout her entire middle and all the way into her toes, making them curl into the sheets. She reached up and grabbed a fistful of his hair, begging for him not to stop. “Please, Daryl... baby, please... it's so good.”

 

Daryl's fast and shallow breathing was hot in her ear. He was just as aroused as she was. Seeing her enjoy herself so much, enjoying the pleasure he was giving her so much, it turned him on like crazy. He was solid as steel and throbbing hard against her back, but he had not the slightest intention to do something about it. This was not about him. “Ain't gonna make ya wait.” he rasped between breaths. “You can cum whenever you want, babygirl. I just want ya to look at me when ya do.”

 

Teddy turned her head, wanting to grant him his request, but when her eyes fell on his sexy mouth, she knew she wanted something else first. “Kiss me.” she breathed, before Daryl slammed his lips against hers with surprising intensity. Their tongues swirled wildly and slightly uncoordinated, but neither of them cared. They were panting and groaning into each other's mouth as their tongues were sliding and playing and teasing. Teddy held herself back from cumming for as long as she could, but when Daryl bit her tongue and sucked on it, she couldn't wait any longer. “Now...” she moaned as she broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against his. “Oh... oh... yes, like that, keep going, keep going, honey... oh shit...” her moans came out breathier and breathier, making Daryl shiver from arousal. He moved his fingers just a smidge faster and it was enough to make her reach her finish line. She stared into his eyes and yanked hard on his hair as her body locked up and then started convulsing over and over again. Her free hand slammed down on his, making him stop his motions on her clit as she rode out the waves of her pleasure.

 

Daryl watched her beautiful big eyes. He loved seeing how they changed when she came and then slowly came back to herself. How shiny they were and how they twinkled with happiness and satisfaction when he had made her cum. He loved seeing her feelings for him reflected back in them. He loved watching them starting to droop when she got sleepy after a good orgasm. It made him grin how cute she looked, like a soft litte kitten with a belly full of milk. He nuzzled her nose and kissed the tip of it, before he gently maneuvered her into a horizontal position.

 

She was asleep before he had even fully removed the plug from inside of her. Quietly he took it into the bathroom and cleaned it, then he put it back into the toy chest, shut the closet and hid the key again. “Teddy? Come on, on your side, darlin'. Can't be on your back no more.” he helped her roll over and position her pregnancy pillow to support her belly and achy hips, then he finally laid down himself with a deep, contented sigh leaving him. One hand settled itself on Teddy's butt, the other reached down to squeeze his dick, willing it to soften again. He was too tired to take care of himself and he didn't even really want to jerk off. In that moment he felt fulfilled and satisfied without cumming himself.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Teddy came down with a cold. Daryl had been worried to death when she had run a fever, but thankfully it only lasted for 24 hours. However, she didn't feel too good with her baby pressing against her lungs and her nose being completely clogged up at the same time. She had given a yoga class just now, which had helped her relax a little, but the breathing situation was giving her some trouble nonetheless.

 

Now they were on their way to Jasper to see Dr. Hainesworth and have her check on the baby. Teddy had a hard time catching her breath, making Daryl drum his fingers against the steering wheel nervously.

 

“With all of this, I really hope you decide to come a little sooner, sweetheart.” she sounded breathless while she talked, mostly to herself. “But not too much sooner, you hear? As much as I would love for this to be over sooner rather than later, you still have some more growing to do. Not too much growing, though, okay? You're already on your way to be quite a bit bigger than your brother and sister. Mommy is not looking forward to that.”

 

“I love it.” Daryl grinned, momentarily distracted from his worries about Teddy. “Turtle was so tiny, like she was gonna break if I wasn't careful enough. Will be nice to have a lil' somethin' to hold on to.”

 

“Don't love it too much... Just because he's my third, doesn't mean that he can't rip me to shreds.” Teddy made light of it with a little laugh, but on the inside, of course she was a little worried and hoped that wouldn't happen. Even former doctors like her dreaded the infamous “cut” and having to get stitched up in eight different places down there. Granted, the risk of having to get an episiotomy with her third child was pretty slim, but it was not unheard of. She had thought about it a bit and if it would look like she might need it, she might refuse getting cut and take the risk of tearing naturally. She had patched up a lot of tears during her career and she had always found that they healed faster and with less complications than the cuts did.

 

“Don't remind me.” Daryl's freshly developed good mood quickly got a damper. He sighed deeply and returned to worrying. It hadn't just been Teddy who had done some thinking, he'd done it as well, and as soon as they would have a minute to themselves, he would have to bring up some things. He hated telling her what to do in their every day life, but he was starting to get antsy and he felt like he had to start putting his foot down where some things were concerned. It probably wouldn't be today, though, because Merle and his girlfriend Carol were coming over for dinner. Neither of them really felt like entertaining, but Merle was so happy and proud, they didn't have the heart to tell him no.

 

It was a busy day with him working, Teddy seeing clients, giving a prenatal yoga class, going to the hospital, then picking up Kenzie from the farm and then going home and making dinner for everyone... Sometimes he wished they could just hole up for a day or two and not do anything before the baby comes. It didn't seem very likely that that would happen, however, so he kept his mouth shut and pushed through alongside his wife. He tried, at least, but the day didn't get any better for them during the appointment.

 

Halfway through the exam, Dr. Hainesworth grew quiet and appeared deep in thought while she stared at the screen of the ultrasound machine. Daryl and Teddy both picked up on it and Teddy squeezed Daryl's hand hard as panic started to build inside of her. “Is everything alright? Is our son okay? I'm not taking any medication for the cold.”

 

“Oh, no, no, no, no, don't worry. Your son is fine, sorry. But I do have some concerns regarding the birth.”

 

“What's going on?” Daryl asked as he engulfed Teddy's clammy hand with both of his.

 

“I don't want to alarm you, but it's my duty to inform you. The situation might resolve itself in the next couple of weeks, but we should still talk about it.”

 

“Christ, what is it?” Teddy asked impatiently.

 

“You're 30 weeks pregnant, and as you know, the average weight of the baby should be around 3 lbs right now... Your baby boy is already weighing in at over 4 lbs... Now, the measurements can be off by a whole pound, BUT that goes for both directions. He could weigh less, but he could also weigh more.”

 

“But he's healthy?” Daryl asked with a frown.

 

“He is.”

 

“Then what's the problem?”

 

“I think your wife knows where I'm going with it, but let me explain. Your baby is promising to be a pretty big baby, and we haven't even reached the biggest weight gain yet, which happens between weeks 34-38 for most babies. Judging from what I am seeing now, your baby might have a birth weight of 9 pounds and up. It might not be that big in the end, it might gain weight slower during the next 10 weeks, but if it keeps growing at this rate...”

 

Daryl was confused. “But our other kids, they were pretty small... so you sayin' something's wrong with him after all?”

 

“No. The fact that he is bigger than the other two can come down to genetics, not just yours, but grandparents, too.” the doctor explained before Teddy cut in.

 

“My mother is 'large-boned', as is Merle and your dad was, too, from what I saw. Also, I'm literally eating for two this time and I'm less stressed this time around, which could all contribute to him being bigger. I think what Dr. Hainesworth is trying to say is that the baby might be too big for me to have naturally... Right?”

 

“Exactly.” The other woman nodded. “I mean, you have given birth twice before, your body knows what to do, but your other two have been small babies and your daughter was premature, too... Your pelvic measurements are not what I would like them to be for a baby with that estimated birth weight. Also, your amniotic fluid looks like it might run low towards the end of the pregnancy. Like I said, it might not be anything to worry about, we still have a couple of weeks to monitor you and your baby closely, but I would advise you to think about a plan B... or plan C, to be more precise.”

 

“C-section?” Daryl was able to glean from context, but he was still so confused about all of it. He hadn't been prepared for the baby to maybe not being able to be born the normal way. “But that ain't so good, right?”

 

“If the baby is too big for your wife to birth vaginally, then it will be the better option.”

 

“Okay... hold on...” Daryl tried to gather his thoughts for a second. “So are you saying she will definitely tear apart so much that cutting him out from the start will be the lesser evil?”

 

“That's not what I mean. If your son turns out to be as big as estimated, and your wife will attempt to give birth naturally, your son might get stuck, and that's when things get unpleasant for both, mother and child. She might need an assisted birth, meaning something like vacuum extraction, which bears its own risks for mother and child. We might have to push your son back up and do a C-section anyway, or... and yes, this happens... we break the baby's clavicle to help the shoulders pass through the pelvis... I probably don't have to tell you that this bears a lot of risks as well, like long-term nerve-damage for your son, your wife might have to receive a large cut to make room for the baby anyway, etc. etc... In this case, it's my personal opinion that a C-section might be the better and safer option.”

 

Daryl was suddenly as white as the wall. Break his son's bones before he's even born? Were they serious? Plus Teddy would have to get cut in half anyway? Why was this even a discussion? For him, it was crystal clear what would have to happen.

 

Teddy squeezed his hand, trying to calm him down, while the doctor kept talking. “I would like to see you every week from now on to keep a better eye on you and your son. The two of you should talk the whole situation over in the meantime and make some plans, just in case. Oh, and with the amniotic fluid situation, I would strongly advise you to rest as much as you can and drink plenty of fluids. If it gets too low I will have to put you on bedrest, but for now, just take it easy, yes? Especially with you being sick right now.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Teddy smiled bravely. Everything had gone so well so far, she had hoped she would get through it without complications, but here they were. At least their baby was healthy, that was the most important thing. The bad thing was, that she was on the waiting list for a therapist and might not get an appointment before giving birth. She would have to work through her worries without professional help in the coming weeks.

 

They left the hospital shortly after and made their way to the farm to pick up their daughter. Maggie had been nice enough to take Kenzie home with her and Johnny, so Daryl had been able to accompany Teddy to the appointment in the hospital.

 

“Are you okay?” Teddy asked after five minutes on the road.

 

“Don't wanna talk right now. Just gimme some time.” Daryl mumbled. His mind was so jumbled by all this new information, he wanted to get it all sorted out before he would talk to her, or else he might lose it.

* * *

Dinner that night was going well. Teddy and Daryl both liked Carol. She didn't talk much, but when she spoke, she was smart, sweet and witty. She had a quiet strength and elegance about her, which Teddy secretly admired. And she was really pretty with her cute smile and twinkling blue eyes. It was obvious how smitten Merle was. He was incredibly well-behaved and the way he smiled at his woman was absolutely adorable. He pretty much only had eyes for her the whole time... and for Kenzie of course, because the little girl wouldn't have it any other way.

 

“I'm gonna have a biiiiiiiiiig little brother, Uncle Merle.” she told her uncle over dessert.

 

“I can tell.” Merle grinned. “Yer momma's bigger than she was when you were in her belly. Your brother looks like he needs alotta space.”

 

“When are you due, Teddy?” Carol asked smilingly.

 

“In exactly 10 weeks,... but maybe sooner.” she added without elaborating.

 

Carol nodded. She had seen something flash up in Teddy's eyes for a second, so she didn't ask.

 

“And guess what, Uncle Merle!”

 

“What?”

 

“Mommy and Daddy have a name for my brother, but they don't tell me.”

 

“What?” Merle complained. “Y'all got a name picked out and ain't tellin' me? Thought I was s'pposed to check it for evil nicknames?”

 

“No need. Like ya said when Kenzie was 'bout to be born: ain't no one gonna mess with a Dixon, no matter their name. Take yourself... best example...” Daryl smirked.

 

“You ain't too old for me to beat your ass, little brother.”

 

“Swear jar.”

 

“Good God.” Merle grumbled and dug through his pants pocket. “Here ya go. You're gon' be filthy rich by the time yer 10 years old, girlie.”

 

“That's the plan.” Kenzie smartmouth-ed with a giggle.

 

Daryl looked over at Teddy, who was scraping out her bowl of ice cream. “Want some more, darlin'?”

 

“Yes, please.” Teddy smiled.

 

“Anyone else?”

 

“Me, too, Daddy.”

 

“Not for me.” Carol declined.

 

“I want some more.” Merle replied and got up from his chair. “Imma help ya.” he told Daryl and collected his own and Kenzie's bowl. “What's wrong, Daryl? Ya seem mopey.” Merle lowered his voice as they stood in the kitchen to refill the bowls.

 

“Nothin'.” Daryl shrugged. “Got shit on my mind... worried 'bout Teddy.”

 

Merle frowned in concern. “Something wrong? Thought ya said everything's fine with the boy.”

 

“It is... just... complicated. He might be too big for her, ya know? Might have to get a C-section. Ain't the worst, I reckon... Ain't really that neither... I gotta talk to her 'bout something and I see a fucking fight comin', that's all.”

 

“What's the matter?”

 

“I wanna tell her to stop working for the rest of the pregnancy. She needs to pace herself and she don't. She's sick, she can barely breathe and still she gives her classes and sticks needles into people. She's on her feet all day, more than in the past 2 years or so, because she thinks she's gotta help make more money. The doc said she might need bedrest if she don't take it easy, that just confirms it for me. I just want her to stop doing that shit, put her feet up and rest. She ain't earnin' much anyway. She's making us more money with the couponing crap than she's making by giving her classes and that yoga shit. Should be in bed cuttin' her coupons instead of bein' down there, playin' fake doctor or something like that.” Daryl muttered angrily.

 

“You can be such a fucking asshole.” Teddy's voice made both men freeze in their tracks. Thankfully Kenzie was talking to Carol and hadn't heard her mother, who had been on her way to the bathroom when she had overheard Daryl's words.

 

“Shit.” Daryl breathed. Teddy shot him a tear-filled glare before she waddled into the bedroom, with Daryl right behind her. “Teddy...”

 

Merle whistled quietly. “He was right about that fight comin'...” he muttered to himself as he took the bowls over to the table.

 

“Where did Daddy go?” Kenzie asked when Merle came back alone.

 

“He'll be right back. Just helping your mother with something. Here, have some more cream.” Merle grinned and sprayed some of the sweet stuff on Kenzie's nose to distract the little girl and making her laugh her little butt off.

 

“Don't put anything in her hair or I'm sure her mother will have your head.” Carol smirked, but secretly she enjoyed watching Merle being cute with his niece.

 

Meanwhile in the bedroom, Teddy was whirling around to face her husband after he had closed the door. “So... I'm not making that much anyway with my crappy job? So, what? Me trying to contribute is just a pathetic little attempt to make me feel better about myself and you let me, or what?”

 

“Teddy, calm down. I didn't mean-”

 

“You know what's funny? When I made more money, when I was a “rich bitch” in your eyes and you were insecure because of it, I never did anything like you just did. I might have been the rich bitch, but I never ever belittled you or your efforts to contribute. Funny how things turned out now that you're in the superior position. Good to know how supportive you truly are... Now I feel like the whole time you helped me build it all up, you were just being a patronizing jerk. Let Teddy have her fun, so she's in a better mood for me at night.”

 

“Would ya just calm down and let me talk-”

 

“No, I don't wanna hear it. Not right now. Go back and entertain your guests. I'm going to bed.”

 

And with that Teddy went into the bathroom and closed and locked the door behind her. Daryl closed his eyes and emitted a deep sigh. _I'm such a fucking idiot._ He knew he hadn't been ready to talk about it yet. He shouldn't have told Merle, because it had all come out wrong and of course Teddy had heard. He hadn't meant it like she had interpreted it, but good luck to him for trying to explain that to her now.

 

“Stupid fucking day.” Daryl grumbled and went back to the dining area, while Teddy stepped into the shower and had a good cry. 

* * *

** Thank you for reading! **

** Uh-oh, looks like emotions are running high these days. Yeah, pregnancy is a wild ride, lol, but it's over soon:) **

** Not sure yet, but Baby Boy Dixon might be born next chapter, one way or another;-) **

 

** Let me know what you think. **


	56. Chapter 56

Merle and Carol left when Kenzie wouldn't stop yawning. It was way past her bedtime already, but for special occasions, Teddy and Daryl let her stay up a little longer if she wanted to.

 

The little girl got a big kiss from her Uncle Merle, then she politely shook Carol's hand and waved at them while they got into their car and drove off. She was tired and moody at that point, and started crying when Daryl wanted her to brush her teeth.

 

_Great, just what this day needs to top it off... a cranky kid._ “Come on, it takes one minute. I know you're tired, but ya had ice cream, so ya gotta brush.” Daryl was usually a bit more understanding and patient with her, but he didn't have it in him after the long, long day he'd had. A little annoyed, he grabbed the toothbrush out of her hand and crouched down in front of his daughter. “Open up.” Kenzie opened her mouth and Daryl quickly brushed her teeth, while she wiped at her red-rimmed blue eyes. Daryl's gaze softened at the sight. He kissed her forehead and dropped the toothbrush into the sink. “Come on, let's get ya into bed.” he said while brushed some hair out of her face. One more kiss to her chubby cheek, then he picked her up and took her into her room to tuck her in. 

 

After, he grabbed himself some Southern Comfort and went outside to sit on the dark sundeck for a while. Tonight was one of those nights on which he felt like he was 80 years old, instead of just 40. He felt anxious, and when the alcohol didn't fully help him make that restless feeling inside of him go away, he went and got his trusty old crossbow out of their large weapon's safe. It didn't just hold his crossbow and their various compound bows, but also a handgun, a shotgun and a rifle, as well as some sharp knives. It was all for hunting, but if someone would dare to try to hurt his family, he was more than ready to make sure it wouldn't happen. 

He took the crossbow with him and stepped up to the banister of the sundeck for some target practice. It was after 10 pm, but the moon shone brightly, helping him spot the trees he wanted to hit. Shooting his crossbow always helped him shut off his mind for a while and that was exactly what he needed right now. Load, take aim, shoot, reload and repeat. Bolt after bolt after bolt until he was out. He was out faster than he would have liked, but that was okay. He still felt a little calmer. Daryl lowered the bow and downed the rest of his drink, before he went back inside to put back his weapon and go to bed. He would retrieve the bolts from the trees in the morning.

* * *

He was surprised for two reasons when he entered the bedroom. Number 1 being that Kenzie was in their bed and number 2 being that Teddy was still awake. She was propped up against the headboard, supported by various pillows. Kenzie was tucked into her mother's side with her ear firmly pressed to Teddy's chest. Teddy's heartbeat had lulled her daughter into a deep sleep, while the little girl kept one hand on Teddy's big belly. 

 

Teddy was playing with her daughter's hair and, surprise number 3, she was smiling softly at him. “I was wondering when you'd come in. You gotta be beat.”

 

“Yeah...” Daryl agreed carefully. He looked at her in a mix of confusion and wariness. He had no idea why she was smiling at him. Earlier she had been ready to rip his head off with her bare hands and now this?

 

“Come on... get ready and join us.” Teddy urged him softly and patted the empty spot to her right. 

 

Daryl nodded and went into the master bath to change into a pair of sweatpants and to brush his own teeth. 

 

“She wasn't able to fall asleep. Was up too long.” Teddy explained when he came back in. “Wanted to sleep snuggling with her brother... Come here...” she lifted the covers with her free hand so he could slip in next to her. She had stolen his pillow, so she pulled his head to rest against her shoulder/chest area. Daryl felt like he was able to breathe again and the warm feeling of comfort wrapped around him like a soft blanket. Teddy kissed the top of his head and inhaled the last traces of the smell of fresh, crisp night air that still lingered in his hair.

 

“Bout earlier...” Daryl started quietly, but Teddy cut him off.

 

“It's okay.” she whispered.

 

“Really? Why?” he looked up at her in surprise.

 

“I've had some time to calm down and think. I know what you said came from a place of love and concern, I get that... of course you didn't choose the best words to express what you meant, but then again, you weren't talking to me...” Teddy chuckled before she had to catch her breath again. “The fact is, the truth hurts... and that's what it was. It was the truth. I don't earn much and I'm aware of that. The job was never really meant to keep us afloat financially, it's meant to give me some purpose outside of being a mother and a wife, and to keep me from going insane. I lost track of that in the past couple of weeks. I'm in nesting mode. I had the urge to do something, you know? To make sure we would be able to afford everything without putting a huge dent into our savings. I just wanted to feel useful. When I heard you say that it probably wasn't really helping, although true, it hurt. I was really hurt earlier. But you are right. I should take a step back, especially with possible complications on the horizon. The safety of our children comes first, always.”

 

Daryl was stunned into silence. This was not what he had expected to happen at all. Sure, he knew that in the end the well-being of the baby would have been the most important thing for her, but he would have expected more of a fight beforehand. He was very pleasantly surprised by Teddy agreeing with him pretty much right away. Instead of saying something, he turned his head and kissed her chest, while he rubbed over her swollen belly. 

 

Teddy smiled and buried her nose in his hair again. “I'm gonna keep working until Saturday. That's when the last unit for the birthing class is scheduled. I don't wanna leave them hanging so close to the end. On Friday I have my last acupuncture sessions with the three girls who are due next week. I will keep doing prenatal yoga classes twice a week, but that's because it's good for my own pregnancy. Unless Dr. Hainesworth forbids me from it in the next couple of weeks, then I'll ask someone else to take over for me until I close for my maternity leave. Okay?”

 

“So from Saturday on, ya won't work except for yoga twice a week?”

 

“That's the plan. How's that sound, hm?”

 

“Sounds damn good to me. And ya won't run a hundred errands neither, okay? You can take Kenzie to school and pick her back up, you can do some shit inside the house, the usual stuff, but no heavy lifting and no garden work. If ya need something from the store text me and I'll get it. You can do your coupon thing and we'll do the big haul on the weekends together. Don't want you doin' it alone no more. You're just gonna lug around stuff that's too heavy for ya. Promise me you're gonna be a lazy ass and put your feet up and drink a gallon of water so the little one's got enough to swim in, yeah?” he was fired up on the inside, but he spoke slowly and quietly, letting the gentle thumps of his son against his palm relax him. 

 

“I promise.” Teddy smiled quietly and met him for a kiss. When they pulled apart, Daryl suddenly got up. “Hey, stay...” Teddy pouted.

 

“Ya need to lay down properly,... and on your side. I can feel ya start to squirm, darlin'. Lemme take her back to her room. She's out cold.”

 

“Okay.” Teddy agreed and kissed Kenzie's dark head of hair. She would have loved to keep her little girl in her arms all night, but Teddy needed to move around a lot, because of the weight pressing down on her hipbones and everything. She didn't want to risk waking up her daughter. It was bad enough that she woke up Daryl constantly, even though he never complained. 

 

He gently gathered his little turtle up in his arms and carried her back to her own room. When Daryl came back to bed, Teddy had already laid down on her side. He saw her wince just before he slipped back into bed with her, grinning at her surprised expression when she opened her eyes and found him facing her. Usually her back was facing him when she rolled over onto her left side, but he hadn't laid down on his side of the bed, but had come back to her side. “This is new...” she giggled, then her eyelids fluttered a little when she felt his strong hand massage her hip a little. 

 

“Poor darlin's all achy, huh?” he murmured in a playful tone. 

 

“Yep. Working out consistently throughout the pregnancy really made a difference so far, but I guess when you're carrying a Thanksgiving Turkey in your belly, all the exercise will only help so much.” They shared a laugh, but Daryl's smile quickly vanished again. Teddy reached out and pulled him closer until she was able to hug him to her as best as she could. Daryl buried his face in her ample cleavage while Teddy continued playing with his hair and kept burying her nose in it. “The doctor really scared you today, didn't she?” Teddy asked quietly. She was pretty sure that it was part of the reason why he'd spoken so harshly about her job to Merle earlier. When he was scared and confused, he expressed it through anger.

 

“Hell yeah. You never told me that they fucking break babies' bones and shit like that.”

 

“I know. And you don't even want to know the size of the cut they give you in order for them to be able to work inside of you to get the baby out. I probably wouldn't be able to leave the bed for the first six weeks or so. It's some medieval times shit that goes down... Really not pretty. I was extremely lucky with Milo and even luckier with Kenzie. That was a dream birth... you know, considering I was in the back of our car.”

 

“Crazy day. I'll never forget that. Not a single second of it.” Another grin before he quickly turned somber again. “Can't do that this time, can we? Can't do no homebirth neither...”

 

“No, I guess we should forget about that plan.” Teddy sighed. “What do you think we should do?”

 

“If he gets too big, I want ya to get a C-section.” Daryl stated firmly, leaving no doubt that meant it. “We haven't talked about it and I ain't no doctor, but the risks of that can't be worse than all that shit that could happen if ya have him the normal way.”

 

“A C-section is considered to be relatively safe. Especially if mother and child are in good condition. The risks are similar to other surgical procedures. Infection, blood loss, blood clots. They could accidentally nick my bladder... They could accidentally injure him, but we have that risk with vaginal birth, too, this time around. He could have breathing problems, a lot of c-section babies have that, but it can be taken care of quickly in a hospital with a NICU and good pediatricians. Recovery time for me is longer of course... 4-6 weeks compared to the 1-2 weeks after natural birth.. it is major surgery after all. That will definitely put more strain on you, baby. I will have to stay in the hospital for about 3 days and that's if there's no complications...”

 

“Don't worry 'bout me. I'm off work for the first 4 weeks. I'll do anything you need me to do, no matter what. If ya ain't doin' well enough to be alone after that, we ask your momma to come and stay with us for a while. She can bring Rosario, too. Might not be a bad idea. She could help cook and take care of the house and your momma can help you with the kids. And when I get home, I can spend my time with you, without worrying 'bout nothin' else.” Daryl hugged her tighter and kissed her chest. “I don't care what it takes, I just want you to be safe. The both of you. And if a C-section turns out to be the safest way for him to be born, then I want ya to do that. I can't force ya, I know that, but he's my kid, too. And you're my wife. I want ya both in as little pain and danger as fucking possible.”

 

“You just want my mom here, so you can have Rosario's food every day.” Teddy teased him, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders. 

 

“I'm serious, Teddy. I'll buy those two a brand new king-size bed each and set it up downstairs for them to sleep in while they stay here. I'll throw those beds back out in the trash after two weeks, I don't care, I just want you to promise me, that we'll do it all the safest way, and by that I mean not just the birth. I want you to take your time and heal up properly, too without taking any risks. If that means having to stand having your momma around for a couple of weeks, then that's what we're gonna do. Please.”

 

“Okay.” Teddy wasn't too fond of having her mother around, but she knew that she might really need the help in the end. “I agree with you. We will do whatever is the safest for the baby and me. Here's what I think we should do... I will talk to Dr. Hainesworth and we will make an appointment for an elective C-Section, just in case. **But,** it won't be set in stone yet. If everything keeps going according to plan and nothing major comes up until then, we wait until week 38. After that the baby's growth slows down and they're considered practically 'finished'. We get another ultrasound and see how big he is then. If he turns out too big, then we do the c-section, but in case he does not get a huge weight gain until then and the computer spits out normal, average measurements, I wanna do it the natural way and we cancel the C-section. Deal?”

 

“Yeah, sounds like a plan.” Daryl agreed, relieved that they were on the same page about it. “But wait... I can be with you during the C-section, right?”

 

“Yes, absolutely.” Teddy nodded. “You just need to scrub in. It's not the nicest way to greet your baby, but like you said, if it's the safest, it's what we're gonna do.” Then she remembered something and her optimism vanished into thin air and was replaced by heartache and tears. “Oh no,... I won't be able to hold him for a while if we do the C-section. That's gonna suck.”

 

Daryl looked up at her when he heard her voice waver, and noticed her tears. “How long?” he asked as he wiped one of the wet drops away with his thumb. 

 

“Depends on how everything goes and how shaky I am from the anesthesia. Might be between 1-3 hours until I get to have him in my arms. That number might go up if there's complications. That's the downside... You get robbed of those first moments together. Shit...” Teddy started crying harder as realization hit her that she might be all alone for a while, because Daryl might have to accompany their son to the NICU if something's wrong with him. Suddenly the whole “it's nothing to worry about, really” turned into a nightmare. “I don't want that, Daryl. I want to be able to hold my baby the minute he's out. I want him on my chest, just like the other two. I don't wanna see him for five seconds and then have him taken away.”

 

“Shhhhh, Teddy... don't get upset. Come on, our boy had to feel enough of that today, hm? Like ya said, nothin's set in stone yet. It might all still work out the way we want it to. It's just plan B. Or C... stupid joke... Shhhh, darlin'. Please don't cry. It's gonna be alright.” Daryl scooted up higher on the bed, so that he could be the one to hug her to his body and cradle her head against his chest now. “It's gonna be fine. Whatever happens, we can deal with it. Maybe the machine is way off and he will pop out of there faster than you can blink, hm?”

 

“That would be nice.” Teddy sniffed. “I really wanted to have him here.”

 

“I know. But even if he ain't 9 pounds and you can do the natural thing, it might not hurt to be in a hospital where ya can get better care in case ya need it.”

 

“Right. Better safe than sorry.”

 

“Exactly. Well, nothin' we can do right now, but hope that we get lucky again.”

 

“Yeah, we should try to sleep. It's late.”

 

“Need anything before go to sleep?”

 

“Can you help me up? I have to pee.”

 

“No problem.” Daryl grinned and kissed her forehead. She was able to get up by herself, but it was more comfortable when Daryl helped her. He got out of bed, then he leaned over her and let her wrap her arms around his neck. He slung one arm around her back and then he brought her into an upright position with him. “Love ya.” he kissed her one last time before she went to the bathroom and he laid down on over on his side of their bed.

 

“Daryl?” she asked a couple of minutes after she had gotten back into bed.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Do you really think my job is stupid?”

 

“Never said that, darlin'. Was just angry about you overdoin' it. I think ya found the right thing for yourself. Ain't stupid, you're still helpin' people and it makes ya happy. That's all that counts in the end. Now go to sleep, baby.”

 

“Okay... Love you.”

 

“Love you, too. Sleep.”

* * *

Merle walked into the vet's office the next morning and kissed Carol hello. “Hey there, pretty lady.” he grinned and pulled her into his arms.

 

“Good morning, Mr. Dixon.” Carol smiled happily and let him place a big, juicy one on her lips. 

 

“How you doin' this fine mornin'?”

 

“Very well, thank you. What about you?”

 

“Better now.” he winked. “My sister-in-law called... Teddy, you know?”

 

Carol laughed. “Yes, I do remember Teddy. I met her less than a day ago. What's up?”

 

“She apologized for last night. Wanted me to tell ya she was sorry for the way the night ended. Something is up with the boy. Nothing bad. He's alright, but he's pretty big or something like that, and she ain't so they might have ta cut him out and I guess that was on their minds yesterday... and some other shit went down, too... Daryl wants her to take better care of herself and it came out wrong... She ain't that bad usually. She's got fire in her, but she's a good woman... Don't want ya to think you're gonna have ta put up with a raging bitch every time we see them.”

 

“It's okay, I get it. Pregnancy is an emotional time for both parents. Tell her she doesn't have to apologize for anything.” Carol laughed. “I enjoyed talking to her. She made me feel welcome. She's smart and seems to have a good head on her shoulders from what I was able to tell. I look forward to meeting them both again... but we probably shouldn't bother them until after the baby is born.”

 

“Yeah, prolly better.” Merle smirked. “Now, gimme some sugar, I gotta get back to work.”

 

Carol smiled that cute smile of hers, that had Merle go weak in the knees, before she finally slung her arms around his strong, solid body and gave him enough “sugar” to last him all the way to lunch time.

* * *

** 7 weeks later **

 

As expected, Teddy's belly had gotten huge in the past month. She was completely over being pregnant at this point and Daryl couldn't blame her. Her belly was bulging so much that it even  **looked** painful. He couldn't imagine what it had to feel like to have all that added weight pressing down on one's entire lower body, but he figured it wasn't pretty. Teddy barely slept anymore and even with her yoga routine, it was near impossible for her to sit down on a chair properly anymore, so most of the time she was either walking around or she was reclining on the sofa with her feet up, trying to squeeze a nap in, whenever her body and her baby would let her. 

 

To Kenzie, Teddy was enormous, and she kept asking if her brother was gonna be the same size as she was right now, when he would finally be born.

 

“Christ, I hope not... but it sure starts to feel that way.” Teddy had responded. This time she really dreaded the birth. She didn't want to think about it, but at the same time she couldn't stop thinking about it and wanted it behind her as quickly as possible. Kenzie, of course, wasn't aware of her mother's worries, but she did sense that Teddy wasn't feeling her best. She was being a very good girl and helped her momma out whenever she could, and she brought her water and snacks and kept her distracted in the afternoons. 

 

Kenzie was fascinated by feeling and seeing her brother move, so one night, when Daryl came home from work, he once again found her kneeling in front of the couch, watching Teddy's bare belly like a hawk. “There he is!” she exclaimed with wide eyes and quickly put her small, chubby hands on the part where he was pushing against. Daryl was able to see him move from a couple of feet away and he also saw Teddy grit her teeth, trying not to wince. It sure was getting tight in there for the little one, despite the way her belly had grown.

 

“Hey.” Daryl smiled and kissed his family, like every night. First Kenzie, then baby and then Teddy.

 

“Daddy, look! Hippo is moving!”

 

“Hippo?” Daryl frowned questioningly, making Teddy laugh.

 

“Yep. That's what she wants to call him today.”

 

“He's big and hippos are big, too.” Kenzie explained her logic.

 

“Yeah, kinda makes sense.” Daryl agreed with a playful wink. “How's momma feelin'?”

 

“Same... Nervous, though.” she added quietly.

 

“Same here.” Daryl sighed. “D-day tomorrow, huh?”

 

“Yeah.” Teddy nodded and put her own hands on her swollen belly. Tomorrow they were going in for the ultrasound that would decide how they were going to do this. They were both scared that her water would break and/or her contractions would start before the appointment, because Teddy was a little dilated already. They were high-strung all the time, always caught in that mix of dread and anticipation. Daryl checked his phone a hundred times a day, to make sure that it wasn't on mute or that he had missed a call or a text. They couldn't wait for a decision to be made and for their baby to finally be safely in their arms. This was a new form of torture to them.

 

Neither Teddy nor Daryl slept a wink that night, and as a result Daryl was so darn tired and distracted the next morning at work, that he got himself a nice big cut on the back of his left hand. He was bleeding all over the place and feared that he might have to get stitches, but thankfully, it wasn't that bad. Billy helped clean up the wound and bandage it up. He told Daryl to go home and be with Teddy, but Daryl refused. Not that he didn't want to be with his wife, today of all days, but he needed something to do. The appointment was in the late afternoon and he would go crazy if he would sit around the house until then. No, he wanted to work, get into his car after, get his family and drive to Jasper without too much time to think in between. And that's exactly what he did.

 

They dropped Kenzie off with Grandma Bernie, then they drove to the hospital. Dr. Hainesworth examined her manually first and smiled encouragingly at Teddy while she took off her latex gloves. “Well, if you want the C-section, we will have to act pretty fast, because you are really starting to open up. It looks like your little boy is getting ready to be born very soon.”

 

Teddy was breathing heavily, partly because of the baby still pressing against her lungs and partly because she was so nervous. “I figured... lots of Braxton-Hicks in the past couple of weeks. He's pretty low by now.”

 

“He is.” the doctor agreed. “Now let's see what the computer says about his size, hm?”

 

“Right on.” Teddy breathed and squeezed Daryl's hand tightly. 

 

The older woman did her thing and moved the ultrasound transducer along her belly, stopping and pressing some keys on the machine in between. To both the Dixons, it felt like spending a small eternity in hell. Finally, they were put out of their misery. “Okay, here we go... estimated birth weight is approximately 8.75 pounds.”

 

Teddy breathed a sigh of relief, as a small flicker of hope lit up inside of her. “That doesn't sound too bad. And the machines are often a little off.”

 

“They are, but as you know that little fact can be both, good news and bad news.”

 

“I know. The actual weight might be somewhere between 7.75 and 9.75 pounds...” Teddy mused out loud. 

 

Daryl was nervously shifting his weight over and over again. He had a really bad feeling and his fears were confirmed a second later.

 

“I don't wanna do the C-section. I wanna try to give birth naturally.” Teddy stated, making Daryl's belly clench up painfully.

 

“Teddy, we said we'd go the safest way.”

 

“He's under 9 pounds. I can do that.”

 

“You don't know that. Damnit, Teddy... if it'd be 8.5 pounds... but it's so fucking close to 9. And if the machine's wrong, it might as well be close to fucking 10 pounds...” 

 

“It might also be under 8 pounds.” Teddy argued.

 

“You don't know that, Teddy. Jesus fuck, girl! You don't fucking know that.” Daryl was usually able to hold it together in front of other people, but this was giving him nightmares and he didn't care what the doctor would think of him. 

 

“What's the amniotic fluid look like?” Teddy asked her doctor.

 

“Alright. Not the best, obviously, but still alright. Considering that birth seems imminent at this point, you're good. No need for intervention.”

 

“Teddy!” Daryl warned, but she shook her head.

 

“We said if he's under 9 pounds, we try the natural way, Daryl. Everything looks good, I'm starting to dilate naturally already. I could go into labor any minute now. Hell, he could be with us tonight.”

 

“Seriously?” Daryl looked at the doctor with wide eyes.

 

“Never an exact science... but with the way her cervix is dilating and effacing I'd say yes, he's not gonna stay in there much longer.” Dr. Hainesworth smiled. 

 

Daryl chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, then he looked at the doctor again. “What do you think we should do? You still think C-section would be best?”

 

“Well, from what I can see, the worst case scenario hasn't happened, where measurements are concerned. Boys tend to be heavier than girls anyway-”

 

“Her first was a boy and he wasn't even 8 pounds, neither.”

 

“That might be because it was her firstborn. First babies are often smaller than the second and third babies and so on.”

 

“Okay, so what are you sayin'? What do you think should happen? Safest way?”

 

“Daryl-” Teddy was tired of discussing this. She was hellbent on giving birth the regular way now. 

 

“No, I wanna hear what she thinks.”

 

“Okay, let's gather all the facts, shall we? Your son and your wife are in great condition, everything looks good and healthy. 8.75 pounds is, let's say a 'doable' birth weight for a boy. Yes, you're wife does not have the widest pelvis I have ever seen, but her pelvis has practice birthing babies. Doing yoga consistently over years now has strengthened her body, her muscle tone and control is probably excellent. It might help her a lot to relax and open up as much as possible during birth. She can kneel or squat during birth, which will help her open up even more and gravity will help along in getting the boy out easier, too. Teddy knows what she is doing, not just professionally speaking, but instinctively, as well. If she feels that she can do it, than she might have won half the battle already. Right now, medically speaking, I don't really see the need for a C-section. If the estimated birth weight would be closer to 9.5 pounds, and if his measurements in general would be bigger, then I'd be very worried about giving birth vaginally, but right now, from what I am seeing right this minute, I think the best way would be to try for a natural birth. The final decision is up to you, however.”

 

“And I agree with her, Daryl. If something goes wrong... well, it could happen no matter how big or small he is,... but you heard her. It's doable. And I really feel like it is. If the weight would have gone over 9 pounds, I would have gone with C-section, but he's under 9 pounds. And we said if he's under 9, we try the normal way. You agreed to that.”

 

“I know what I said, Teddy.” Daryl grunted out with exasperation. “Fuck... Just wish he'd be closer to 8...”

 

“Well, you can go home and discuss some more, we are done here for now.” Dr. Hainesworth had other patients to see and didn't feel like staying around for an argument. She handed Teddy some paper towels with a smile. “Whenever you're going into labor, just call here. I told the nurses to call me if I'm not on duty. If you're going through with the scheduled C-section, I'll see you next week at the latest. I'll be here for you, no matter what it's going to be.”

 

“Thank you. I appreciate it very much.”

 

“You're welcome.” she shook Teddy's and Daryl's hand and left, leaving the couple to themselves as Teddy re-adjusted her skirt and had Daryl pull her panties back up, so they could leave. “I know you're really scared, baby...” she told him as they sat in the car in front of Bernie's house a couple of minutes later. “I'm nervous as hell about this one, too, but I really wanna do it the right way.”

 

“Fuck, Teddy...” Daryl buried his face in his hands and tried to calm himself down. “I just want someone to tell me the fucking guaranteed safest way to have this baby and then have you do that.”

 

“There are no guarantees in childbirth and you know that by now. I know you think I'm biased, so don't even listen to me, but listen to Dr. Hainesworth. She's very experienced with this. You've known her for years now, too. You know she only wants the best for us. She knows my body and my history and she knows the facts about this situation. She thinks I can do it. She thinks a C-section isn't necessary.”

 

“But two months ago, she said it would be better.”

 

“She said it would be better if he would be over 9 pounds, but that hasn't happened. He hasn't had that humongous growth spurt we feared he might have. He grew faster early on and slowed down earlier than most babies.”

 

“But he might be heavier than 9 pounds. There's still that chance.”

 

“I know, Daryl, but please. Let's not focus on what if's... let's go on the facts we have, and those say that it's doable. Please. Let's try and I promise, at the first sign of trouble, the first sign that he might not be able to pass through, I let them do the C-section. I promise. But I wanna try pushing him out myself first.”

 

Daryl was still hiding behind his hands. Teddy saw his shoulders slump as he exhaled shakily. Suddenly he was grabbing her by her jean jacket and pulling her close to give her a long, hard kiss. “If something happens to you, Teddy... Remember that thing we saw a while ago? That woman was about to give birth, there was some shit going down and the doctor asked the husband who they should save if it came down to it? If they should save the baby or his wife? I have nightmares about that shit, Teddy. I'm fucking terrified, alright? I don't want that to be us... And just so ya know, I won't lose you. I won't, okay? No matter what you say, if they ask me, Imma tell 'em to save you. Thought about it long and hard. We can have another baby, but I can't have another you. And our daughter can't have another you, neither.”

 

“Gosh, Daryl... baby...”

 

“I just see this happening over and over in my head. He gets stuck and they cut ya open so much that ya lose too much blood and then they can't get him out and he suffocates and you both die. I can't get it out of my head.”

 

Teddy cradled his face in her hands and kissed him again, hoping he would calm down a little now that he let it out. “Baby, I understand how you feel, but you can't go into this thinking like that. I know it's incredibly hard to push through your worries and stay optimistic, trust me, I do, but I need you to do it for me. I need you to have faith in me and in my body and my instincts. Now that I know he's not that huge, I know that I can do it. I have a good feeling about it. You want to be in the delivery room with me and I want and need you in there with me, but baby, if you don't believe in me, if you have too many doubts and can't support me, then I have to take someone else in there with me. So please, please, please, my love, please try to calm down. We are not in grave danger, everything looks good, my body is preparing and pushing him down already... take it as a sign that it's supposed to happen this way. Have faith in me and our doctor, Daryl. Please.”

 

Daryl nodded mutely and leaned his forehead against Teddy's shoulder for a moment. “If you die, Imma kick your ass.”

 

“No one is dying. We have a really good doctor. Trust her opinion.”

 

“I'm trying.” Daryl grumbled. “Good Lord...” he sighed and sat back up. “I just wish it would be behind us.”

 

“So do I.”

* * *

They didn't have to wait too much longer. Three days later, on a Friday morning, Teddy's contractions started as she was vacuuming the house. She started shaking and supported herself on the dining table as she tried to work through her panic. She was scared. She would have been lying if she would have claimed that she wasn't. In a rush of fear, she doubted herself and doubted if she was making the right decision. Maybe she should call an ambulance and let herself get rushed to the hospital for the C-section. But then she saw her own worst nightmare play out in front of her inner eye, how she wouldn't be able to be with her baby right from the start. How she wouldn't be able to take care of him properly right away. She didn't want that. Not if there was another way. 

 

She gave herself a moment longer to gather her bearings, and when the next contraction started about 7 minutes later, she was calmer and was able to breathe through it. She put away the vacuum and checked her hospital bag one more time, before she called Daryl and told him to come home, because labor was starting. She urged him not to speed and to be careful, but judging by how quick he was home, she figured that he hadn't listened.

 

He kissed her several times and held her through another contraction, before he was ready to take her to the hospital. “Alright, let's do this.” he breathed as he grabbed her bag in one hand and his wife's hand in the other. He was ready for whatever might happen. He had to be, because he knew there was no turning back now. 

 

Less than an hour later Teddy was already sitting on a birthing ball. She ended up spending a couple of hours on that thing, gently rocking and rotating her hips to ease some of the discomfort and to help her pelvis open up. Daryl was on a chair right behind her, firmly massaging her lower back as the contractions became more frequent and more painful. Teddy got up in between and walked around a little, but when the really hard ones started up, she wasn't really able to stay on her feet anymore. 

 

“OhGodohGodohGooooood....” Teddy groaned as the next contraction squeezed her insides in an iron grip. “Why am I doing this to myself? I swear to God, this is the last time.”

 

“Sure? Ya said that before, and now... here we are...” Daryl smirked and kissed the spot between her shoulder blades. He was so proud of her. Once again she had done so great with everything throughout the whole pregnancy and now she was being his own personal little warrior again. It was amazing to him how strong women were to survive all this, and multiple times at that. Focusing on his feelings for her helped him to stay positive, and helping her through the contractions and making sure she stayed hydrated helped distracting him from dark thoughts. The doctor was checking on her frequently and right now, everything was progressing just like it should. Now, after five hours of contractions, Teddy was 7 cm dilated and she would be ready to push soon. That would be the truly nerve-wracking part, but he was successful in blending that out for now. 

 

Teddy leaned back against him and rested her head against his strong shoulder. Daryl kissed her lovingly and stroked his hands over her belly for a moment. “Here, take a bite.” he held a granola bar to her lips. She had been nibbling on that bar in between contractions for the last half hour. She wasn't really hungry, but she knew she had to keep her strength and energy up for pushing later. She was still chewing when Daryl felt her squirm again, so he quickly helped her sit up straight again. “Another one already?”

 

“Mhm...”

 

“Alright, coming even faster now, huh?”

 

“Yeah, but that's good, means it will be over soon.” she pressed out before the pain-filled moans got ripped out of her throat again. She always tried to keep calm, focus on her breathing and not make too much noise, but it just happened anyway. She had always admired women who barely made a peep during delivery, but unfortunately, that wasn't her. Her body had other ideas and forced her to let it out.

 

Two more hours and then it was finally go time. Daryl felt like he couldn't breathe as panic tore through him like a flash of lightning, but before he knew what was happening, Teddy was (more or less) hanging between his legs. Like Dr. Hainesworth had suggested, she was trying to give birth in the squatting position, so that's what she was doing between Daryl's legs, supporting herself by resting her arms on top of his thighs. Teddy started pushing and Daryl managed to multi-task by cheering on and supporting Teddy and by keeping his eyes on Dr. Hainesworth's and the accompanying nurse's expressions. If they started to look worried, he wanted to know right away. 

 

“You're doing so fucking good, darlin',... so damn good...” he tried to comfort Teddy after a particularly sharp cry had left her mouth. He had no idea how far they had progressed, if the head was through the cervix or if they were still only just beginning or whatever. It killed him not to be down there himself and take a look, like he had been able to do with Kenzie.

 

“You're doing great, Teddy.” Dr. Hainesworth told his wife. “Just like that. You got this, you're such a pro at this.” the older lady smiled encouragingly. Daryl took it as a sign that so far everything looked good. “You're doing awesome... there you go... oh my, yeah that was a good push. Good job, Teddy.” the doctor kept praising her, and Daryl was slightly amused by seeing this side of the usually reserved and quiet woman. She made one hell of a cheerleader. 

 

Teddy meanwhile was in hell. There was so much pressure that it made her scream here and there. She wasn't sure if maybe it was her imagination, but she thought that she definitely felt the difference in her son's size compared to her previous children. She had had both kids without an epidural and yeah, it had been painful as hell, but she had managed. This time though, she thought the pushing stage was absolute madness. She felt like he was barely moving and when he did, he was splitting her open like a watermelon that was landing on a sidewalk after getting dropped from the roof of a skyscraper. “Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.... Shit, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm sorry...” she apologized when she stopped pushing halfway through one hard push, because the pain ripping through her had startled her into stopping.

 

“It's okay, it's okay, catch your breath and get back at it. You're doing really good, Teddy. I know it's really painful, I know, but I'm starting to see something. He's getting there. You're doing so well.” Dr. Hainesworth kept talking to Teddy while she wiped a bit of blood off of her, so she had a better view of what was going on. 

 

Daryl looked at her in surprise. “Really? Ya see him already?”

 

“Not quite yet, but he's close. We're almost done. It's looking good so far. You totally got this, Teddy.”

 

“Ya hear that, darlin'? Almost at the finish line. So fucking proud of you, girl. You can do it. Only a little more.”

 

Teddy didn't have it in her to reply. She was in agony right now and wasn't really able to distinguish who was saying what. 

 

“Good,... goodgoodgoodgood, yes, Teddy! Good job, yes, you're getting him there. Yes, I can see him, I can see his head, Teddy. Good job.”

 

“It burns so much.” Teddy whimpered.

 

“I know, but remember not to push through the pain right now, Teddy. I know that's all you wanna do, but take deep breaths, try to relax and open yourself up. Daryl's got you, lean back for a moment and catch your breath, let your perineum stretch for a second. You're almost done.”

 

Daryl gently tilted her head so she would look up at him, trying his best to distract her for a moment. “Should have believed ya from the start. You can do fucking anything, darlin'.” he smiled at her and quickly gave her a kiss. “So proud of ya, you won't ever know how damn much, girl.” he was whispering the words to her quickly, hoping she was even hearing him over the noise of her own panting and whimpering as she had to bear the famous “ring of fire” as her son was crowning.

 

“I can't wait, I gotta keep going.” she gasped a couple of seconds later. She was tired, her legs were tired and she was aching all over. She wanted her baby and she wanted to lay down. Preferably right the fuck now.

 

“Okay, keep going. That's it. That's good. You got it, you so got it, he's so close. He's coming, here he comes... yes-” Dr. Hainesworth couldn't help but smile a bit wider as she saw the head pushing against the opening. 

 

“Oh God, please get him out of me.” Teddy begged.

 

“Oh sweetie, you're getting him out. You're doing that all by yourself. You're getting him, Teddy. You got him.” the doctor told her smilingly as she wiped some more blood of the portion of the baby's head, that was already peeking out. “Ooooh, here he comes, Teddy, yes, hard push, hard push, hard push.

 

“Oh shit, pleeeaase...” Teddy screamed as she felt the head pass through the opening.

 

“Good job, Teddy! You're okay. Breathe. Oh, here he is. The head is out, Teddy, I can see his little face. And all his hair. Look down, Teddy. Look at your baby. You did it, sweetie. You're doing it. Almost there.”

 

Daryl already felt his tears coming on when he heard that the head was out and that their son had a lot of hair, too, just like Kenzie. He wanted to see him so badly, but he wasn't able to see anything from up there and he didn't want to leave Teddy hanging now.

 

“I can't see.” Teddy panted. Her belly was in the way. 

 

“It's okay, come on, one last time Teddy. You can do it, sweetie. Come on. Yes! Yes! Yeeees!”

 

Teddy gave one last hard push, shrieking briefly when she felt the shoulders pass through and then she knew it was over. She slumped back against Daryl in exhaustion, and before she knew it, a cheering Dr. Hainesworth was lifting their son into her arms.

 

“Here he is. Congratulations.”

 

Teddy burst into tears as she laid eyes on her son for the first time. She eagerly took him into her arms and pressed him against her chest, sobbing with happiness and relief that it was finally over. Daryl felt his heart burst as he was finally able to see his son, too. He carefully maneuvered himself to the floor, where Teddy was now seated, and slung his arms around the both of them. His own tears were flowing uncontrollably as he alternated between kissing his wife and their newborn son, who was starting to test out his lungs. 

 

“Best fucking sound ever.” he laughed quietly into Teddy's ear before they shared a deep, long kiss. 

 

“He's perfect.” Teddy sniffed. “I can't believe we did it.”

 

“You did it.” Daryl grinned proudly. “Remind me to never ever fucking doubt you again.” he carefully placed his hand over his son's head and stroked his thumb through the blood-stained, dark hair. “Just like Little Turtle...”

 

“Daddy, you wanna cut the cord?” the doctor's voice tore him out of their bubble.

 

“Hell, yeah.” Daryl nodded and proceeded to do just that. Never in his entire life had he ever felt such relief before. It was over and both baby and Teddy seemed to be doing fine. No more nightmares. At least for now. 

 

Dr. Hainesworth let them be for a couple of minutes, before it was time to check out the baby boy's health. “Do you have a name picked out?” she asked as she took the little boy back from Teddy.

 

“Sure do.” Teddy smiled. “He's Jethro Dixon.” 

 

“Nice. We don't hear that too often.” the doctor smiled genuinely. “Welcome, Jethro. Let's get you checked out, so we can have you back cuddling your mommy in no time. Mr. Dixon, could you help your wife over to the bed? I need to examine her, too.”

 

“Sure.” Daryl nodded. He kissed his wife and carried her over to the bed, while the nurse, who had been mostly sidelined until now, gathered some supplies to help take care of Teddy.

 

Dr. Hainesworth worked fast and within a handful of minutes, little Jethro was back in Teddy's arms, snuggling against her bare chest. “He's a little heavyweight.” she smiled. He gained some more weight in the past week. He weighs 9 pounds and 5 ounces, he's 22.4 inches long and he's as healthy as can be. Congratulations again, you two.”

 

“Thank you.” Teddy replied with a happy sigh.

 

“See, he was over 9 pounds...” Daryl started, but Teddy cut him off.

 

“Daryl, it's over. He's here now and that's all that counts. Here, hold your son.” Teddy smiled and carefully handed him over.

 

Daryl smiled broadly as he settled his son in his arms for the first time. “Hey Jeth. What a day, huh? Man, you ain't got no idea how long we been waitin' for ya. Good to finally have ya with us. You look just like your sister. Boy, she's gon' go out of her mind when she sees ya.”

 

Teddy leaned back and watched her boys with a smile on her face. Daryl with a baby (and with children in general) was always a sight to see. She teared back up when she realized how happy and proud he looked. She giggled a little as she reached up and wiped away a stray tear that had escaped his eye.

 

“Oh, shut up. Like you ain't bawlin'.” Daryl laughed and gently nudged her with his elbow.

 

“I'm not saying anything.” Teddy grinned. “Except that we should start making some calls soon.”

 

“They can wait.” Daryl murmured. “Just a bit longer.” he wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet for a bit longer, before the crazy amount of family visits would start. And so he stayed with her and their son until Dr. Hainesworth was done patching her back up, because this time she had suffered some injuries, and only when they were finally brought up into a room, where they would stay for a day or two, he got out his phone. “Ready?”

 

“As I'll ever be. Mom and Little Turtle first.”

 

“Alright, here we go.”

* * *

** Thank you for reading! **

 

** Phew, we did it people. He's here. **

 

** Thoughts? **


	57. Chapter 57

Daryl grinned from ear to ear when he heard the excited babbling of his daughter, before she had even rounded the corner. When she came into sight, he was immediately able to see that she was barely able to contain herself. She was walking hand-in-hand with her grandma and looked up at her as she rambled on and on. However, she stopped mid-sentence as soon as she spotted Daryl, and immediately let go of her grandmother in order to run towards him.

 

“Daddy, Daddy, is he here? Is my little brother really here? Really?” she asked breathlessly as she launched herself into his arms.

 

Daryl caught her effortlessly, hugged her tightly and pressed a long kiss against her cheek before he answered. “Yeah, he's really here.”

 

Bernadette laughed as she caught up to them. “She's been telling every single person we met that she's here to meet her little brother.”

 

“Yeah? You're excited, huh?”

 

“Yes, Daddy. Can I see him now? Please, please, please? Now?”

 

“In a minute, Turtle. Listen to me first. Remember what we told you. We know you're excited, but you can't go storming in there and start squealin' and jumpin' up and down, okay? You can sit on Momma's bed with her and your brother, but you have to sit still and use your indoors voice. You have to be real careful with both, Momma and the baby, yeah?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“I promise, Daddy.”

 

“Alright, then let's go.” One more kiss, then he set her down on the floor and led her towards Teddy's hospital room.

 

Kenzie tiptoed into the room carefully with her father's hands resting on her small shoulders. When she saw Teddy with the little bundle in her arms, her hands flew up to her cheeks and she gasped, in her best (involuntary) “Home Alone” impression.

 

“Hiiiii, Turtle.” Teddy beamed at her daughter. “There you are. We've been waiting for you.”

 

“You wanna go over and say hi?” Daryl asked when his usually rambunctious and confident little girl didn't move an inch, but only shyly waved. Kenzie nodded and Daryl quickly picked her up and carefully deposited her on her knees on Teddy's hospital bed.

 

“Hi, baby. Do I get a kiss?” Teddy asked and got a big kiss on the lips from her daughter, before Kenzie's attention shifted to the baby in her momma's arms.

 

Kenzie looked at her baby brother with bright, happy eyes and a big close-mouthed smile. In fact, she seemed to be clamping her lips shut with quite some force. Then she looked at the adults, seemingly not knowing what to do with herself, and just as Teddy, Daryl and Bernadette started to get confused about her behavior, Kenzie brought her hands up to cover her mouth and started squealing as quietly as possible. She simply couldn't help herself, she was so happy and wasn't able to keep it inside.

 

“Someone's speechless for once.” Teddy giggled quietly, while Daryl kissed the top of Kenzie's head.

 

“Are ya that excited, Turtle?” the little girl nodded furiously. “Awww, sweetheart, that's okay. You can make a little noise. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that ya had to be that quiet.”

 

“He's so small.” Kenzie whispered in awe.

 

“I know.” Teddy smiled and petted her hair with her free hand. “He's gonna grow fast, though.”

 

Bernadette came closer and walked around to the other side of the bed, to look at her new grandson. “Beautiful.” she smiled and gently touched her hand to Teddy's cheek before she leaned in and kissed her daughter's forehead. “Good job, sweetheart. Congratulations. It was a rough one, hm?” she traced a thumb along the dark circle under Teddy's eye.

 

Usually Teddy and Bernadette weren't really on a touchy-feely basis, but today Teddy was too happy to care about old feuds. “It was.” she confirmed Bernadette's assumption. “Tore me up pretty good. Mostly inside. Two labial tears, too. One needed stitches. But I kinda expected that. 9 pounds 5 ounces, I'm lucky my perineum didn't tear, too.”

 

“Thank God for small favors.” Bernadette huffed. “If you need help, I'm just a phone call away. You know that, right?”

 

“I know. Thanks, Mom. We'll have to wait and see how it heals up. And Daryl's there, too.”

 

“That's true, but the both of you need to catch up on some sleep. Just say the word and I'm there. That's all I'm saying.”

 

“Thanks.” Daryl spoke up. “I'm sure we'll hit ya up pretty soon. Keepin' this one off her feet sure will be a job for two.”

 

“Hey, I'm not that bad.” Teddy mock-glared at him. “Not anymore.” she added with a little laugh.

 

Kenzie, meanwhile, was still studying her little brother. She was absolutely in awe and really speechless for probably the first time in her young life. The adults shifted their attention back to her and Daryl realized, that they hadn't even revealed the name yet. “We named him Jethro.” he announced to the visitors.

 

“Jess-woah?” Kenzie scrunched up her nose at the funny name.

 

“Jethro.” Daryl corrected her.

 

“That's what I said.” Kenzie argued.

 

“Jethro.” Daryl said again, but to Kenzie it didn't matter.

 

“Can I just call him Jess?”

 

Teddy smiled and kissed her temple. “Sure, honey. We were thinking about calling him Jet or Jeth for short, but Jess works, too.”

 

“My uncle's called Jess.” Daryl mumbled with a frown.

 

“Oh great! A family name, then.” Teddy grinned, before she rolled her eyes at Daryl's expression. “Come on, do we ever see him? Not like we would ever confuse the two.”

 

“Oh, Teddy, do you remember, you always had a thing for that Jess from that show? What was it called? With the mother and the daughter?” Bernadette tried to remember the show Teddy had used to like when she had been younger.

 

“Gilmore Girls. Why do you think my first son was called Milo? I always liked the actor. And the name... Yeah, I think I like Jess for a nickname.” she stuck her tongue out at Daryl, when it was his turn to glare at her.

 

“Fine, whatever.” Daryl sighed. “I got Little Turtle, so I figure you can have Jess.”

 

“How very generous of you.” Teddy joked and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

 

“Mommy, can I hold Jess?”

 

“Yes, baby. Sit down on your little butt and lean back against Mommy. Like we practiced with your dolls.” Kenzie quickly sat down and held her arms out. Daryl helped Teddy transfer their son into Kenzie's embrace and Teddy carefully supported Kenzie's small arms a little, so she wouldn't accidentally make Jethro's head drop back.

 

“He's so cute.” Kenzie giggled. “Can I kiss him?”

 

“Yeah, but really, really careful, Turtle.” Daryl smiled and watched her lower her head to give her little brother a kiss. His heart felt like it was about to explode, it was filled with so much happiness. He couldn't believe that those two were his. He couldn't believe how cute they were and how adorable and beautiful they looked together.

 

“He smells funny, Mommy.”

 

“I know. That's gonna pass. Unfortunately.” she added with a sigh. “Mommy loves that smell. You used to smell just like that.”

 

“I did?”

 

“Yes, and neither me nor Daddy were able to stop smelling you. We both loved it. It's the new baby smell. It's addictive for Mommy's and Daddy's.”

 

“There's a little spot right here...” Daryl was swirling his fingers through a small patch of hair at the top of Kenzie's head. “That still has some of that smell.”

 

“I have to wash my hair then.” Kenzie mumbled, unable to tear her eyes away from her brother.

 

The adults let them cuddle a while longer, until Teddy gave Daryl a look that signaled him, that she had to lay down and rest again. The stitches she had received were very uncomfortable and she was hurting. Bernadette picked up on it, too and opened her mouth to speak before Daryl had the chance to.

 

“Well, sweetheart, I think it's time for us to go home and let Mommy, Daddy and Jethro sleep a little bit.”

 

“Nooo.” Kenzie pouted. “I wanna stay. Please, Daddy?”

 

“No, Turtle. We talked about this. You have to go with Grandma. I know ya wanna stay, but Momma and Jeth had a really long day. They both worked really hard and need to sleep now, yeah? Be a good girl. Tomorrow I'm comin' home with ya, and maybe we're all goin' home tomorrow, together. But today, we gotta stay here and you gotta go home with Grandma, alright?”

 

“No.”

 

“Kenzie...” Daryl looked at her sternly. He knew she was sad, hell, he would be poutin' too, if it would be him that would get send home now, but they needed their rest now, it was Kenzie's bedtime already and she had school in the morning.

 

“Come on, Kenzie.” Bernadette started to get a move on. “Give your parents and your little brother a kiss and then we're leaving.”

 

Teddy and Daryl, both, were glad when Kenzie finally listened. She was pouting, which neither of them could really blame her for, but she doled out some kisses, let Daryl take the baby back into his arms, and let her grandmother pick her up and carry her out of the room.

 

Teddy breathed a sigh of relief and immediately pushed the button to call for a nurse. “Can I please get an ice pack and one of those squeezy, squirty bottles... you know what I mean?” she asked when the nurse came in.

 

“Yes, and we already put a bottle in the bathroom for you earlier. I'll get you a cooling pad right away.”

 

“Thank you.” Teddy smiled. She carefully shifted and pushed the button to lower the upper part of the bed a little. “Oh thank God...” she groaned when she was able to lay back and take some pressure off her bruised lower parts.

 

“What's that bottle for? You gonna pump already?” Daryl asked as he put baby Jess back in his crib.

 

“No, that's for when I go pee. As soon as urine comes in contact with what's going on down there, it's gonna burn like fire. If I squirt warm water on my parts while I pee it will soften the blow a little and it will help keep that shit clean. I really don't need an infection. It's gonna hurt more than enough without that already.”

 

“Damn.”

 

“Well, not like we didn't know it was going to happen. Still, I wasn't quite prepared for how much it really sucks.”

 

“Can ya take something for the pain when ya breastfeed?” Daryl gingerly climbed into bed with her and put his arms around her.

 

“Yeah, but I wanna try not to. If it's too bad I will, though. No sense in torturing myself, I guess.”

 

“Good. Don't want ya to be in more pain than ya have to. Don't help nobody.”

 

The nurse came back and gave Teddy one of those cool gel pads for her sore genitals. “Please don't keep it on there for longer than 30 minutes. To help with the healing, we recommend loose-fitting clothes. Twice a day you should lay down without pants and panties to let the area breathe for 10-20 minutes. Change your sanitary pad frequently, take a shower at least once a day and carefully pat the area dry with a clean towel.” The nurse took a breath and wanted to keep talking, but Teddy gently cut her off. She didn't want to be rude, but she was beat and she knew all of this, because she had given this exact speech to her patients a lot of times.

 

“Doing sitz baths and using witch hazel helps soothing some discomfort, right?”

 

“Exactly. You've done your research.” The nurse handed her the pad with a smile.

 

“Yeah. Thank you.” Teddy smiled gratefully as she accepted the coveted item and placed it against the source of her pain, while the young woman left the room again. “Jesus Christ, nothing has ever felt so good.”

 

“Huh, thanks.” Daryl huffed jokingly.

 

“You know what I mean.” Teddy kissed his jaw before she looked over at her sleeping son. “It was absolutely worth it, though.”

 

“Yeah. Can't believe we have two kids now.”

 

“Crazy, right? And I think we can officially say that we make really cute babies.”

 

“Hell yeah. He's fucking perfect. So are you, darlin'. Thanks.”

 

“It was the both of us.”

 

“But you did all the work.”

 

“Can't argue with that.” she giggled. “But you dealt with me perfectly while I did all the work. So thank **you**.”

 

“Love ya.” Daryl kissed her long and lovingly. When he pulled back he gently pushed some strands of hair that had escaped from her loose bun out of her face. “You should close your eyes for a little bit. The family's gonna call soon.”

 

They had called Billy and Merle earlier to tell them that their nephew was here and that they were all doing well, but of course everybody wanted to see them, so they had agreed that the whole family would gather at the Greene farm and that they would talk via FaceTime. That way they would be able to see Jethro and Teddy tonight, without crowding them in the hospital right away. They had done that first, back when Billy's and Maggie's twins had been born, and they had found that it was a great way to check in on the newborns and their parents real quick, without too much stress for everybody involved.

* * *

“Jethro?” Merle made a face. “What the hell kinda name is that? Sounds like death row.”

 

“Relax.” Teddy grinned. “Your niece has already decided to call him Jess for short.”

 

“Hm.” Merle grunted, not quite sure if he liked that better or not.

 

“How'd y'all come up with that?” Maggie wanted to know.

 

“Daryl and I were absolutely unable to agree on a name. There were only very, very few we really liked and of course, the ones I liked, he hated and vice versa. That's why he doesn't have a middle name, by the way. Then a couple of months back I was cleaning and had my iPod on and Jethro Tull's 'Aqualung' came on and it hit me. Daryl came home for lunch a little later and I asked 'How about Jethro for our baby?' and he liked it, so there you go... Only name we both liked, so that's what we called him.”

 

“Good thing you weren't listening to Nickelback.” Billy deadpanned, earning himself an eyeroll from his twin sister.

 

“Good thing you don't have to like the name.” she said. “We do, so shut it.”

 

“I'm kidding. God, look how peaceful he is. He's fucking beautiful. Good job, you two.” Billy smiled when Daryl focused the camera phone back on the baby.

 

“How are you feeling, Teddy?” Teddy heard the voice of her sister-in-law.

 

“Ugh, don't ask. Like Frankenstein's Monster. I haven't looked yet, but I can feel the stitches and the swelling and bruising and everything. That's really no fun this time, but you know, I'll survive. It's what we do.”

 

“Now you can rest and heal up. If you need anything at all, we're all here to help out.” Maggie said.

 

“That's right.” Merle chimed back in. “If ya need someone to take the little princess off your hands for a day, just gimme a call.”

 

“Thanks. We'll do that.” Daryl smiled. He always got a kick out of how much Kenzie had Merle wrapped around her little finger. Billy definitely was the stricter uncle, and while Kenzie loved him very much, Merle would always be her favorite.

They ended the call soon and Teddy and Daryl were finally able to give in to their exhaustion and let themselves fall asleep.

* * *

**2 weeks later**

 

Daryl was laying on their bed, on top of the covers, wearing only a pair of old plaid pajama pants. His feet were bare and so was his torso, except for the sweet, little baby boy that was only wearing a diaper and was sleeping peacefully on his father's naked chest. Daryl's love for his son was evident, not just by the expression of pure serenity and happiness on his face, but also by the way he was protectively cradling the baby with one hand, while he used the other hand to stroke over his son's naked back and his full head of hair with all the fatherly love and tenderness he possessed. 

 

Teddy, who was coming back from the bathroom, was torn between crying, worshiping at Daryl's feet and jumping his bones, all at the same time. It was moments like these that she truly knew and that she was 101% sure, that she had married the right man. Actually, she wasn't only sure that Daryl was the best husband for her, she was also sure that he was the best husband and father that had ever existed. And she had been lucky enough that he had chosen her to be with. She thanked the Heavens every single day to have that man by her side.

 

“Let's get him dressed and into his crib.” she whispered as she neared the bed.

 

“Five more minutes.” Daryl whispered back with that cute half-smile of his.

 

“No, come on. We're not making the same mistakes we made with Kenzie. He is such an awesome sleeper and such an un-fussy little angel, let's keep it that way, please.” Teddy begged him with her eyes. Jethro was a dream come true. He barely ever cried, he let them sleep 5-6 hours every night before he got hungry, and took half-hour naps every two hours after feeding like clockwork. Jess was the polar opposite of Kenzie and they were able to organize their day fairly well with that schedule. They got a fair amount of sleep and felt good so far, and Teddy wanted to enjoy that a while longer before something would disrupt the flow of things, whatever that something might turn out to be. Baby Jess was only 2 weeks old and things could change in a heartbeat. Daryl would go back to work in another 2 weeks and then Teddy would have to adjust to being alone with her baby boy during the day and shortly after that, she would have to make the transition into becoming a working mom, who would have to breastfeed and pump and take care of her baby as much as possible between seeing clients. So yeah, things would get stressful soon enough. She wanted to enjoy this phase to the fullest.

 

“Alright.” Daryl agreed and slowly sat up. “Lay down, I got it.”

 

Teddy listened and sank down on the bed with a blissful sigh. Her injuries were healing well, but it was still a little uncomfortable and achy, especially if she stayed on her feet too long. She used every trick in the book to help her along with the healing process, but in the end, it simply took time for everything to go back to normal. She knew that full well, but she was impatient nonetheless. Thankfully, there was one sure-fire way to distract her from her aches and pains and that was looking at her beautiful baby boy and how the rest of her beautiful family interacted with him. Her cheeks hurt from grinning so broadly while she watched Daryl swaddle Jess, turning him into a little love-burrito.

 

“You're a champ at that.” she commented when he tucked the corner of the swaddle blanket into one of the folds in order to secure it. “But then again, you're a champ at pretty much everything baby-related.”

 

Daryl matched her grin and gently picked Jess back up and brought him over to his crib. He didn't want to put him down, though. He loved that Jess was such a hearty little thing, he loved feeling his weight cradled in his arms. He knew that his son would never be this small again, he knew how fast they grew up, and he wanted to cherish every single moment he got to hold him like this. One more kiss, then he took a deep breath and laid him down on the soft mattress. “Such a good boy.” he murmured quietly, softly stroking the pad of his index finger over Jess' chubby cheek. “It's crazy how different he is from our girl.” he told Teddy when he finally joined her on their own bed.

 

“He's just like Milo.” Teddy beamed. “Actually, he's even quieter and even more relaxed than Milo was. Maybe it's a boy thing. Maybe girls are so fussy, because they have more to 'talk' about right from the start.”

 

“Maybe. Almost don't feel like we got a newborn in the house. Thought we'd be like two dead people walking around right now.”

 

“I know, but don't jinx it. It could still happen.” Daryl laid down on his side, pressing himself flush against Teddy's body. He propped his head up on his elbow and gazed down at her with his gorgeous blue eyes being all clear and shiny with happiness. Teddy bit her bottom lip and reached out to trace her fingertips through his scruff. “You look so happy. I can't get enough of seeing you like this.”

 

“Always happy, ya hear?” his free hand slipped to her stomach, slowly rubbing his palm over the soft material of her hoodie. “But this is the first time in months we ain't had to worry 'bout nothing. Feels good.”

 

“Right? It's so quiet and peaceful that it almost scares me a little.”

 

“Yeah, almost too scared to enjoy it. Kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

 

“I know exactly what you mean... but I'd like to think that it won't happen this time. We've had enough shoes dropped on us in the past year.”

 

“Yeah.” Daryl's fingers slowly traveled higher until they met the zipper of her hoodie. The tip of his index finger played around with the little metal thingy as he chewed on the inside of his bottom lip. “So... how you feelin'?”

 

“I feel good.” Teddy tried not to smirk. She knew her husband and she knew exactly what kind of mood he was in. When he had tried this shortly after Kenzie had been born, Teddy had almost taken his head off, because she had been so stressed out and insecure about her post-pregnancy body back then, that his desire for her had overwhelmed her in a negative way. This time it was very different for her. While her libido was still a little in the low ranges, she had the urge to be physically close to him and to have a little fun while Kenzie was in school and their baby was asleep. Teddy rubbed one of her hands across his chest, over his shoulder and down his arm. She closed her own hand around his and pulled, encouraging him to slide the zipper down. “I could use a little TLC, though.”

 

She almost laughed out loud at Daryl's cute, pleasantly surprised expression. “For real?”

 

“Mhm...” she nodded and grasped his big, warm hand in both of hers and placed it on top of her right breast.

 

“They ain't hurtin'?”

 

“It's alright, but stay away from the nipples.”

 

Daryl nodded dutifully and slowly started moving his hand. First, he pushed the hoodie to the sides, groaning quietly when her swollen breasts came fully into view. He cupped the right one delicately at the same time as he lowered his head and pressed a tender kiss to the round flesh. Teddy released a sound that was a mix between a moan and a purr, which seemed to push a button inside of her husband. She heard, and felt, him exhale heavily through his nose, just before his grip on her tightened. He squeezed with a hint of possessiveness, making Teddy hiss and bury her hands in his wild hair, instinctively pulling him back a little. “Ouch, careful, baby.” she warned him under her breath.

 

“Fuck, I'm sorry.”

 

“It's okay. Keep going.” she smiled and shifted a little, so that she would be able to let her hands roam a little, too. Daryl groaned against her breast when he felt Teddy's fingernails rake down his own chest. He jumped and gasped, when she twisted his nipple a little, making his dick twitch hard inside his pj's. Teddy felt him harden against her hip. She sighed internally, because she wanted to feel him inside of her, but at the same time, she didn't, because she knew she was still one hell of a mess in there. For now she would have to content herself with some teasing. 

 

“Shit, Teddy. You're killing me.” Daryl moaned as her fingernails softly dragged up his still covered erection. 

 

Teddy giggled and she kept teasing him for a little bit longer, while they made out and Daryl gently massaged her breasts. Just when she was about to reach inside his pajama pants, she heard the small noises little Jess always made when he woke back up. “Okay...” she laughed. “Next time less talking and more touching. 30 minutes really isn't all that long.”

 

“No it isn't...” Daryl groaned and dropped on his back, where he hid his face behind his hands as he took deep breaths to calm himself down. 

 

Teddy squeezed his arm, then she got up and picked her son up. “Hello, sweetie. Hiiii. I'm so happy you're awake again. You know why? Because Mommy loves seeing your beautiful big blue eyes. Yes she does.” Teddy lifted him up to her mouth and kissed his little face all over. Just like Kenzie, Jess had blue eyes, too, but whereas Kenzie shared the exact same shade of blue with her father, Jess' eyes were quite a bit darker. But that didn't mean that it would stay that way, the real eye color often took some time to develop and it was still possible that they would get lighter or that they would take on a more green-ish colour, like Teddy's.

 

This time it was Daryl's turn to watch his wife being cute with their son. It filled him with love and with sadness for his wife alike. Now that they had a son together, Milo's death became even more real to him. Knowing that she had to go through such a profound loss, and all by herself on top of that, it killed him. He knew the next couple of weeks wouldn't be easy for her, especially the closer they would get to that 2-month mark. She still didn't have a therapist, so Daryl felt that it was his job to help her through this, and he really wanted to, but he wasn't sure if he would be super calm during that time, either.

 

“You have to get dressed soon, Daryl.” Teddy tore him out of his own head. “You have to pick Kenzie up in an hour.”

 

“On it.” he nodded as he sat up. “Need me to get something from the store while I'm out?”

 

“No, we're good. Thank you.” Teddy kissed him sweetly.

 

“Well, better grab a shower first.” Daryl sighed. He was reluctant to leave the bed, but he knew they would have to get a move on now. He got ready and while he was on his way to get their daughter, Teddy got up as well and took Jess to the kitchen with her. She prepared a little snack for the family and took it all outside to the backyard. It was beautiful out. Usually she would have loved to take a walk to the lake, but it was still a bit much for her. This way she would be able to put her feet up and relax on the lawn chair, while her family was playing outside. Kenzie had her sandbox, her swing-set, her rocking horse, her bike and even a little plastic pool to splash around in, more than enough to keep her occupied and wear her out for the rest of the afternoon.

 

But first, as usual, Kenzie made a beeline for her brother when she came home. “Babyyyyyyyyyyy” she called out happily as she skipped over to Teddy's lawn chair. Her mom got a kiss, but then she immediately kneeled in front of the car seat, where Jess was resting, protected from the sun. She stuck her head in and gave him three kisses, then she started rocking the car seat and told him about her day at school. “... and then we sang the song again and I knew all the words, but Johnny didn't. He always forgets. Aaaalwwaaaaays.” Kenzie rolled her eyes dramatically, making her parents laugh quietly. “And then I played tea party with Emma and Stella. You know who's good at tea parties? Uncle Merle. You'll see. He's so much fun and he let's you do everything. And he gives you ice-cream when you want it.”

 

“Yeah, and then he brings you home with a tummy ache, which is almost so much fun.” Teddy added in a whisper, so Kenzie didn't hear.

 

“But that's how it's s'pposed to be.” Daryl smirked. He never would have thought that he would ever think that, but Merle was doing exactly, what he was supposed to do. He was being a great uncle, who loved his niece and now his nephew, and who was spoiling them rotten. Jess already had more toys than he would ever play with, most of them courtesy of Merle, who couldn't wait to take him hunting and show him the ropes. Neither could Daryl. In a couple of years they would all have their bows and maybe they would have a new dog eventually, and on the weekends they could gear up and go out to the woods, do a little squirrel hunt and then make a camp, build a fire, cook their squirrels, make smores for the kids and watch them fall asleep in their sleeping bags, while he held his wife in his arms under the stars. 

 

He released a happy sigh and pulled Teddy's hand up to his mouth to kiss it. He watched the scene in front of him and knew that he had never been more at peace than in this moment. Two beautiful, healthy kids, a beautiful wife who still challenged him in a good way and who loved him unconditionally, a brother who was finally on the right path and had even found love, and for once he had absolutely nothing to worry about. 

 

_ Yeah, this is how it's s'pposed to be. _

* * *

** Thank you for reading! **

 

** Okay, I'm not saying that this is the end of the story or the bonus chapters, but I kind of feel like this is the end of a big chapter in their lives. Right now, I don't know what the next chapter in their lives is going to be, so you might have to wait a bit until you hear of them (read about them) again.  **

** Maybe inspiration will strike sooner rather than later, but we will have to wait and see. I just wanted to give you a heads up, that there might be a longer break now. **

 

** Thank you so so so much to everybody who left a review and who is still along for this ride. **


	58. Chapter 58

Daryl exhaled shakily as he slowly sat down in their rocking chair with baby Jess safely cradled in his arms. His heart was racing, so much that it hurt, and Daryl hoped that the gentle rocking motions would help him (and his heartbeat) calm down. He rubbed a calloused hand over his face, removing the tears that had spilled out of his closed eyes during the horrible nightmare he had woken up from a couple of minutes ago.

 

It had been so real, he still felt like his heart had gotten ripped from his chest. He still felt the traces of devastation and unimaginable pain from that terrifying dream linger in his system. So much so, that he had risked waking up his son by picking him up in the middle of the night, but he had had to make sure that Jess was still breathing and that his skin was still all warm and rosy.

 

Now he knew exactly what Teddy had felt like, when she had found Milo dead in his crib, he thought. Only that Teddy hadn't been able to wake up from that hell. It had been real for her, whereas he had been fortunate enough to get out of the bad dream and was now able to cuddle his healthy son to his chest.

 

“That shit can never happen, ya hear me?” Daryl whispered very quietly to the sleeping bundle in his arms. “I ain't as strong as your mommy where that shit's concerned. That damn dream nearly killed me already just now... Fuck!” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The anxiety was still pretty strong and it made him extremely restless. He hoped that his sleeping baby wouldn't pick up on it.

 

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to get a grip on himself. He focused back on Jess and started stroking his hand over the baby's head full of downy, soft, black curls. Then, he cradled his son's tiny, chubby cheek in his palm and softly rubbed his thumb along the curve of his small nose, before he tickled his fingertips along the cute, little eyebrows. _We do make fucking cute kids...,_ Daryl grinned to himself. He lifted Jess up to his face and pressed a long kiss to his warm forehead, as Daryl's body finally started to relax a little. 

 

Daryl settled Jess back into the crook of his arm, while his gaze traveled over to Teddy's sleeping form. Instead of anxiety, need and longing started to seep into every fiber of his being. He could really use some TLC from her now, but he didn't have the heart to wake her, and also, he couldn't just get on top of her and make love to her in the middle of the night. They hadn't had sex yet, since she had given birth to Jess three months ago, and the chances of hurting her would be quite high. Her lady parts had taken quite a beating during the delivery. Due to all the stitches she had received, she even looked a little differently down there now. It brought a stupid little smile to his face, because he loved her battle scars, they made him feel proud. It was ridiculous how proud he was of her, how proud he was to call her his wife. She wasn't perfect, but she was pretty kickass and she did everything for them. She was his little warrior and his personal hero.

 

He couldn't help himself, he had to touch her somehow, so he reached over to the bed with his free hand and gently squeezed her foot for a second. “Alright, let's get ya back to bed, hm?” Daryl told Jess after focusing back on him. One last kiss, then Daryl got up from the chair and moved over to the crib, but in exactly that moment, Jess started making his cute little noises, that meant he was hungry and waking up. Daryl smiled down at the now squirming baby in his arms, and moved to the kitchen with him. “Let's see what we got here...” Daryl murmured as he opened the fridge to check for pumped milk. Jess was a hungry little boy and sometimes Teddy wasn't able to keep up with pumping for the feedings when she wasn't able to breastfeed her son herself, so about a week ago they had started giving him formula here and there. Daryl and Teddy were both alternating with the night feedings, one night he got up, the next night she would get up, and so on. It wasn't his night, so Teddy hadn't pumped, which had him boiling some water now in the middle of the night. 

 

“Shhh shhh shhhh... Daddy's got you. I got you covered, baby boy... shhhh shhh shhhh...” Jess was getting fussy, because things were taking too long, and Daryl didn't want him to start crying and wake up Teddy and maybe Kenzie. Jess was the most relaxed baby in the world, but if he didn't get his milk within two minutes of waking up, he definitely started making a ruckus.

 

“Turn off the stove, I'm up.” Teddy yawned from behind them and reached for her son.

 

“Shit, did I wake ya?” Daryl asked in an already apologetic tone of voice.

 

“No, it's my night. I wake up on auto-pilot.” she gave him a tired smile before she walked over to the couch with her son in her arms.

 

Daryl turned off the stove and followed them. He sat down sideways next to Teddy, so that he was able to put his arm around her and pull her into him a little. He watched as she pulled down the straps of her nightie, revealing her full breasts, and let Jess latch on to the left one.

 

Daryl leaned his forehead against Teddy's temple and watched his son feed in silence. Of its own volition, his right hand moved from where it had rested on his thigh to softly stroke his fingertips over Teddy's right breast. It was full and hard from all the milk in there, he figured that she probably woke up because it got uncomfortable. He cupped the swollen globe gently, then he carefully squeezed her nipple between two fingers, causing some drops of milk to dribble out.

 

Teddy's relieved sigh told him, that he had done right. “Thank you, baby.” she groaned quietly. It hadn't been much, but every bit of relief from that strong pressure she felt, when her boobs got too full, was welcome. “He didn't have that much before bed and I was too tired to pump.”

 

“Anytime.” Daryl mumbled quietly.

 

“Are you okay? How come you were up?”

 

“Had a nightmare... couldn't go back to sleep.”

 

“I'm sorry, baby. That sucks. Wanna tell me about it? Get it out of your system?”

 

He would have liked doing that, but he decided to decline. Teddy had just gotten through her rough patch after having been plagued by nightly panic attacks and nightmares for weeks. He didn't want to stir shit back up by telling her that now he was having nightmares about their son dying in his sleep.

 

“Nah, I'm good. Don't worry about it.”

 

“Sure?”

 

“Mhm.” he nodded and gave her a little kiss.

 

Teddy sighed against his lips and soaked up all the loving attention she got from him. Alone time was hard to come by these days. “I can't wait to have you to myself tonight.” she smiled quietly against his lips, as she remembered what day it was.

 

Daryl grinned when he heard the words coming from her lips. He still got so happy about hearing things like that.

 

“Same here.” he was beaming at her in the near-dark, the horrible nightmare forgotten for the moment. He played with her hair and watched her nurse their son. It was the most beautiful picture to him to see her like that, nourishing their child with her body, having little Jess happily slip back into sleep while she was feeding him.

 

She was amazing with their little boy. She was (and always had been) amazing with their daughter, too, but there certainly was a big difference. It sometimes pained Daryl to realize that. He felt sorry for Kenzie, because during her baby years she hadn't gotten to experience her mother the way Jess got to experience her now. He wondered if Kenzie realized that, now that she was 5 years old and pretty smart for her age. Or more precisely, he wondered, if she picked up on the differences he was picking up on. Teddy was way happier this time around and so much more relaxed and, as much as he hated to say it, even more loving than before. It was one of the very few things that truly irked him about his wife. He didn't understand how she was able to treat one child differently from the other. She loved them both fervently, no doubt about that, but there was definitely that damn difference. It wasn't fair to their daughter, but he took comfort in the fact that Teddy still treated her just like a loving mother should, instead of treating her, like Bernadette had treated Teddy, because she had preferred Billy.

 

Then again, Teddy had always told him that she was much better with boys, than she was with girls. She had also admitted that she might have kept her distance from her daughter emotionally, albeit unconsciously, out of fear of history repeating itself or out of fear that she might die like Milo, etc. Things had gotten better during the pregnancy, but now they were slowly getting back to their “old normal”, meaning that they were arguing a lot more again. At least no more screaming matches or endless discussions, but the temporary truce seemed to be over between them. Still, Teddy and Daryl stuck strictly to what their pediatric psychiatrist had recommended, in order for Kenzie to be less spoiled and less badly-behaved.

 

“Feels like we're done for now.” Teddy whispered, pulling Daryl out of his deep thinking.

 

He gently lifted Jess out of Teddy's arms and Teddy covered back up before they went back into the bedroom. Both of them gave their baby a kiss, then they got back in bed. With sleepy eyes, Daryl watched Teddy apply some nipple cream to her sore peaks, and when she was done and turned off the lights, they both went back to sleep for another three hours.

* * *

Daryl wasn't too fond of the clothes he was wearing, but he got a kick out of how much his wife loved them. It was clearly evident in her expression how much she enjoyed the view when he came home for lunch that very hot and humid Friday noon. Her eyes were hooded and she was biting down on her bottom lip as her gaze swept up and down his lean and muscled form. She had bought him those clothes years ago, but he had always refused to wear them. He'd worn them a couple of times after Kenzie had been born and he was wearing them again now, because he had no other choice. Teddy and Daryl spent every free minute with their children. Doing laundry wasn't high on their list of priorities, which had resulted in their closet being pretty empty by now. That was the reason why Daryl was actually wearing the quite tight black jeans, that accentuated his lean hips and legs in the best way, plus the jean jacket, with the sleeves cut out, with nothing underneath, which showed off his tummy as soon as he lifted his arms just a little bit. Not to mention the way that jacket really showed off his arms and his ridiculously wide shoulders. Teddy was definitely drooling, figuratively speaking.

 

“Hey...” her voice held a sultry undertone, which had Daryl feeling a pleasurable pull in his loins.

 

“Hey yourself.” he rasped and leaned down to give her a kiss. What was meant to be a sweet little peck, quickly turned into a short series of heated open-mouthed kisses, with a liiiiittle bit of tongue play. _Whoa... someone's feelin' frisky today..._ Daryl thought as he pulled back with a happy little grin on his face. Upon seeing the dazed look on Teddy's face, he leaned back in for one last quick kiss, then it was Jess' time to be greeted by his daddy. “Who do we have here?” Daryl picked Jess out of Teddy's arms and was smiling from ear to ear when Jess gave him his big toothless grin and started reaching haphazardly for his father. “Huh? 's that my big little boy? Yeah?” Daryl used his baby voice and pressed several big kisses to Jess' chubby cheek. It did not help Teddy to calm herself down. Daryl and babies were lethal to watch. Daryl in these goddamn tight clothes with babies was enough to fry her brain. Once she was free to move around again, she pushed Jess' nursing pillow off her lap and scooted forward on the couch a little, until she was able to trace her hand up the back of Daryl's leg before she rubbed it over his tight little ass with gusto. “Momma's in a mood.” Daryl smirked down at her.

 

“Oh yeah. You're so getting laid tonight.” Teddy whispered with a sly grin, only to laugh out loud when she saw Daryl's expression turn from the normal level of happy to incredibly fucking elated.

 

“For real?”

 

“Yep, for real. I think 3 months of a post-baby-dry-spell are more than enough.”

 

“Unless you're still hurting.”

 

“It's the first time post-baby, Daryl. I will be hurting no matter how long we wait.” Teddy sighed.

 

“You sure you're ready? You know I'm fine if you ain't. Don't want ya to torture yourself for my benefit.”

 

“I won't. I want you... been wanting you for long, long weeks, but now I really can't wait any longer. It'll be fine. Besides, you're always so much more careful with me than I would be with myself. I know you'll go slow, even if it kills you.”

 

“Damn right. 'Cause we don't hurt women, baby boy, ya hear me?” Daryl smiled down at the happy baby in his arms.

 

“Unless your wife specifically asks you to.” Teddy added with a laugh.

 

“Right.” Daryl smiled at Teddy, and when he looked back at Jess, he saw the baby yawn. “Daddy came home just in time to put you down for your nap, hm? Come on, then. Let's get you ready, before you get cranky.”

 

Daryl headed towards their bedroom with Jess in his arms and Teddy in tow. He went straight for the changing table and carefully put his son down and opened the buttons at the crotch of the baby blue onesie. Teddy stood behind him, with her arms wrapped around her husband's middle and her cheek resting against the middle of his back while Daryl proceeded to change the baby's diaper.

 

“I love this.” Teddy mumbled under her breath. “It's so peaceful and quiet with him. And I love that you're coming home for lunch and that we get to have these moments. Before we know it, he's gonna be running around the house with his sister.”

 

“Don't even say that. The past three months went by too fast already. Gonna be rollin' over and crawling soon.”

 

“Exactly. Better enjoy this phase while it still lasts.”

 

“Yeah.” Daryl agreed quietly as he finished up changing Jess, who had already fallen asleep. “Good boy.” Daryl mumbled with a proud smile, then he picked him up and kissed him on his way over to the crib.

 

Once Jess was down for his nap, Daryl slung his arm around Teddy's shoulders and guided her out of their bedroom and back to their great room. He wanted to ask what she had planned for lunch, but he didn't get around to do it. Teddy's lips were on his in an instant. Her hands greedily roamed up and down his strong, muscular arms as her tongue coaxed his into a hot, little wrestling match.

 

_Good Lord,_ Daryl thought while he released a little grunt into her mouth,  _ she IS in one hell of a mood. _

 

“Screw tonight!” Teddy breathed between kisses. “I want you right now. And I'm not kidding.”

 

“Can't do it, sweetheart. Ain't got no lube out here.” Daryl was squeezing her ass possessively as he murmured the words against her lips.

 

Teddy looked around until her eyes zeroed in on what she had been looking for. “Olive oil.”

 

“What?”

 

“Grab the damn olive oil and fuck me, Daryl.”

 

“Christ, woman... Keep yer pants on.” Daryl gasped as she fondled and squeezed his crotch.

 

“We don't have time.”

 

“No shit. Which is why we should wait 'til tonight.”

 

“Can't wait. Don't wanna wait.” she lamented and shut him up with another passionate kiss, that made his toes curl inside his boots.

 

“Fine.” he gruffed and grabbed the oil before he grabbed her and took her over to the couch. Deftly, he pushed the straps of her maxi-dress down her shoulders, which made the garment smoothly slip off her body and down to the floor within two seconds. He reached behind her and expertly opened her nursing bra with one hand while the other hand was already pushing her panties down her legs. Teddy was completely naked in under a minute, but she made no move to undress him, though. Daryl was not in the least surprised by that. She really loved the outfit he was wearing and he was sure she wanted him to keep it on while he took care of her.

 

He was not wrong. While he used his fingers on her, her gaze and her hands hungrily roamed his body. He would have loved to do the same to her, but both his hands were otherwise occupied. One hand was busy slowly pumping two fingers inside of her and rubbing her clit with his thumb, while the other hand was covering her mouth and keeping her quiet, so she wouldn't wake up the sleeping baby with her loud moans.

 

Even though she was horny as hell, it took her a bit to reach her climax. Daryl knew they didn't have time to go all the way, so he kept rubbing her after her first orgasm. He was actually glad that he wouldn't get to fuck her right now, because she had already winced when his fingers had penetrated her. She wasn't ready to take him yet. Not after just a couple of minutes of him fingering her. They had already had to work up to intercourse after Kenzie, and back then, she hadn't even had stitches like she had this time. So instead of taking her, he gave her a second orgasm. And then a third, until she started to damn near maul him when she got too sensitive.

 

“Shit... so good...” she gasped when she was sprawled out on their sofa in a boneless heap. “But I know what you did there, Mister. If you didn't wanna have sex you should have just said it.”

 

“Wasn't that. You just ain't ready, darlin'. Woulda hurt ya too much and you know it. Sometimes I gotta save you from yourself.” Daryl explained gently and kissed the tip of her nose sweetly.

 

“You're not wrong.” Teddy let out a contented sigh. “But you do remember that eventually we're just gonna have to do it, right?”

 

“Yeah, and I ain't scared or shit like that, but no quickie on my lunch break, darlin'. Tonight we got enough time to make sure you're good and ready, just not right now. That's all.”

 

“Oh... right... Sorry. You're being sweet and I didn't get it.” she laughed with reddening cheeks. “It's just these damn clothes, they make my brain short-circuit.”

 

“I know, but can ya please do some laundry? I ain't feelin' good in these.” he asked gently and gave her his version of puppy dog eyes.

 

“Sure, baby.” she giggled lightly and kissed him affectionately. “Hand me my clothes and I'll get dressed and do it right away.

 

Daryl did as he was told and watched her put on her underwear and her dress. They shared one more kiss, then Teddy went ahead and got a load of laundry started.

 

When she came back up, a smile found its way to her lips, because Daryl was lifting Jess up in the air while he was blowing raspberries against his son's little tummy. Jess was gargling happily, making both his parents' hearts swell with love and happiness.

 

“I gotta go.” It was evident in Daryl's voice that he really didn't want to go. He always had an incredibly hard time tearing himself away from his baby boy. With Kenzie he had stayed home 3 whole months, but with Jess it had only been 2 weeks. It was hard on him, because he always felt like he missed way too much, especially since they grew up so darn fast at this stage.

 

Teddy felt for him and she decided that she would surprise him and swing by the garage with the kids in the afternoon, before she would drop them off in Jasper at Grandma Bernie's.

 

“Oh wait,...” Teddy remembered something. “You haven't eaten.”

 

“It's alright. I can manage until tonight.”

 

“Hold on.” Teddy went over to their fridge and got a bag of Rosario's brownies out of the freezer. “Here, just let them sit out in the sun for a while before you try to eat them.”

 

Daryl released a little chuckle. “Ain't the worst idea you ever had.” At least he knew that the brownies tasted heavenly, because his mother-in-law's maid had made them, and that woman was a damn excellent chef.

 

“I agree. Now come on, you gotta get going and I don't want you to have to speed.” Teddy gently rubbed his back and watched him kiss Jess' soft cheek.

 

Daryl sighed heavily as he hesitantly handed Jess over to his mother. “Dunno how Billy does it. Only seein' the boys on the weekends for a couple of hours?”

 

Teddy snorted derisively. “I'm guessing banging a 20-year old bimbo is taking his mind off of it just fine.”

 

“Teddy...” Daryl's tone held a warning. He didn't appreciate her judging her brother based on who he'd felt attracted to. Those things couldn't be helped.

 

“Sorry. I just don't get it. What do they even talk about? She's practically fresh out of high school and he's a married father of three little boys.”

 

“Don't think they're doin' much talking.” Daryl shrugged.

 

“Oh please.” Teddy made a face.

 

“Hey, if Maggie ain't bothered by it, then you shouldn't be either.”

 

“Oh, she's bothered by it.”

 

“Bullshit. She don't care. That Glenn guy is younger than her, too.”

 

“Only 2 or 3 years, not 15. And she might not be bothered by it, but it irks her a little bit.”

 

“Whatever. Ain't none of your business, Teddy... And hey, you should be the last one to throw stones here, darlin'.”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Teddy frowned at him.

 

“What about that new teacher at Turtle's school, huh? Y'all are wetting yer panties for that guy.” It was Daryl's turn to snort unhappily. He remembered parent-teacher-night and Teddy's goofy grin and reddened cheeks very clearly. For the first time in their marriage, Teddy had shown interest in another man. A very young and very handsome, downright beautiful, guy. He looked like a model, and as it had turned out, he had modeled a bit to pay for school. And of course he had to be British on top of it. Mr. Strickland had all the mothers swooning, including Teddy, unfortunately.

 

“Like I would ever hook up with him.” Teddy waved him off.

 

“Yeah? Not even if we'd split up? He would definitely want to. Had his fucking weird eyes all over ya.”

 

“They are not weird, it's called heterochromia, and since we're not splitting up, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.” Teddy tried to reassure him, but this was a very sore subject for Daryl. He trusted Teddy, and he knew that, just like Billy, she didn't choose to find that teacher attractive, it just happened, but it made him feel shitty nonetheless. He wasn't confident enough for this crap.

 

“Whatever. I gotta go.” Daryl gave Jess one more kiss, but he didn't give Teddy one on his way out. He cursed himself for bringing the whole thing up, because now he had pissed himself off.

 

“Uh oh... Daddy's cranky.” Teddy murmured to Jess after the front door had slammed shut behind her angry husband. “Are you cranky, too? Noooo, never. You're never cranky. You're such a good boy, my baby.” Teddy giggled and tickled her little boy gently, already putting this little squabble behind her. She was sure that Daryl just needed some time to calm back down and that things would be back to normal later.

* * *

She had been right... at least to some extent. Daryl had seemed more relaxed again when she had taken the kids to see him in the afternoon. At night when he came home, though, he seemed really tired and quiet. As soon as she laid eyes on him, Teddy kissed her hopes for some serious sexy-time with him goodbye.

 

“What's up with you, baby?” she asked him after dinner, during which he had been completely silent, as well as broody.

 

He didn't reply. Not verbally. He shrugged his naked shoulders after he had taken off the jean jacket. Once topless, he grabbed his beer bottle and plopped down on the sofa, leaving Teddy behind at the dining table by herself. She had already lost most of her appetite halfway through the meal, but now she was just done and pushed her plate away from her with a deep sigh.

 

“Can we talk or do you want me to leave you alone?” she asked next, needing to know before she decided on her next steps. “Are you mad at me? Over that teacher?”

 

“Nah... not really. That's just a small part of all the fucking things going on right now.”

 

Teddy studied him for a moment. She had been suspecting that something had been nagging at him for weeks now and she was pretty sure that she knew what it was. He was working a lot and he was unhappy being away from their children. However, she was surprised about the fact that it seemed to be more than just that one thing that was bothering him.

 

She got up and moved to sit on the floor next to the couch. “If there is something you want to talk about, baby... The kids are gone for the night, so tonight would be the best opportunity. But if you need time to think about things, that's fine, too. You know that, right?”

 

“I don't know what to do.” Daryl sighed.

 

“You're sad about seeing so little of the kids these days, hm?” she voiced her assumption out loud.

 

“Mhm.” Daryl nodded and gulped down some of his beer. “And work sucks.”

 

“What's going on? Trouble with Billy?”

 

“Kinda, not really... dunno...” Daryl sighed. He didn't want to talk about it, because he didn't want to complain, but all this shit was eating him up alive and he knew that he would have to let it out sooner rather than later. Teddy was right. Today was probably the best day for a talk like this. “It's just... when yer brother and I got into all of this... there were all those plans... He wanted to work out all these schedules, so we would be able to spend as much time as possible with our families...”

 

“Right... that didn't last long.” Teddy remembered how Daryl's hours had changed pretty quickly after all the good intentions had been forgotten.

 

“And ya can't talk to him no more about that shit. It's all about money for him. He just wants to make more and more of it and he don't care about how much work we got because of it. I mean, if it would just be me, I wouldn't care... Would be fucking glad about bein' busy all day long... But with you and the kids...”

 

“Yeah, I get that.” Teddy nodded. “Billy's always been greedy where money was concerned.”

 

“I knew the little fucker was greedy, but I never thought it would turn out like this.” Daryl grumbled with disappointment clearly evident in his voice. “Kinda regret doing it all with him. And usin' your money for it.”

 

“It was our inheritance, Daryl. I told you that my Dad would have wanted you to have it, too. He loved you so much.”

 

“Stop.” Daryl took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut before he would start crying right then and there. He was exhausted and starting to feel pretty emotional.

 

“He got even worse in the past coupla years, your brother. It's all about work. Ain't no surprise that Maggie went lookin' elsewhere.”

 

“Are you scared that I'll go looking elsewhere, because you've been gone so much?”

 

“I trust ya.”

 

“I know that you do, but that's not what I asked.”

 

“Seein' ya with that teacher... dunno... was a wake-up call.”

 

“He's a very pretty boy.” Teddy laughed quietly. “But that's really all there is, Daryl. Like I said earlier, you have nothing to worry about. It's you I love and lust after. Your lunch break earlier should have been indication enough.”

 

“I know. I trust ya and I know you would tell me if there would be something to worry about... Still...”

 

“Yeah... I guess I would feel the same. I mean, I went ballistic just from finding Sandra's phone number in your pocket back in the day... But back to the work thing, have you talked to Billy about it?”

 

“Yeah. A couple of times, but he don't wanna hear it.”

 

Teddy nodded with a deep sigh leaving her mouth. “That's not surprising. He's more stubborn than my whole family put together.”

 

“And the actual work is fucking annoying. With Mike, back in Jasper, we still had real cars to work on, ya know? Old clunkers where ya got your hands dirty. These days when ya open a hood, all ya see is plastic. Then you get your little computer and hook it up to the car and let it analyze what's wrong. Didn't sign up for that shit. Ain't fun no more.”

 

“Okay, if it all makes you so unhappy, then there is no doubt that things need to change... so, question is... what do you wanna do?”

 

“Can't change nothin'. We need the cash.”

 

“Forget about the cash for a moment.” Teddy waved him off before he would bring up any more arguments. “Just tell me what you want to do. What would make you happy again?”

 

That one was easy for him. He didn't need to think about it. “I wanna be home more. Spend more time with our kids. Our boy is three months already and I missed so fucking much of it. I can't deal with it for whatever reason. It tears ma damn heart out. I wanted him so much and now I'm never here. And now I'm here and they ain't here.”

 

“We can pick them back up first thing tomorrow morning, baby, but I think we really need tonight to ourselves, hm? We really should talk this through, even if it's just for you to get it out of your system.”

 

“That's another thing. We ain't never got time for us no more. I mean, we knew we'd have less, because of the kids, but with work now, it's fucking non-existent.”

 

Teddy nodded in agreement. “The way I see it, you will have to quit or somehow get Billy to hire someone part-time, so that you only need to work a half day and can be home in the afternoons with the babes.”

 

“Can't afford that.”

 

“We could, but we would have to make some changes.” Teddy explained.

 

Daryl perked up a little and he looked at her curiously. “Like what?”

 

“You start working part-time and in turn, I start working full-time again. I wouldn't really mind.” Teddy told him with a little shrug. “Besides, even if you work less, you're still Billy's partner and still get your share of the profits from the business.”

 

“That's right... but you working full-time still ain't an option, right? Even if ya did more classes and stuff, ya wouldn't earn much more.” Daryl argued.

 

“That's correct.” Teddy nodded. “But there are options.”

 

“And what would those be?”

 

“I can go back to medicine.”

 

Daryl looked at her in surprise. “Thought ya didn't wanna do that no more?”

 

“I never said that I would never wanna do it again... It's been a couple of years and it wouldn't be back in my Dad's offices. And I won't do the GP stuff... at least not at first. I could do the full midwife/doula thing... I can go back to focusing on pediatrics. That might be the best option actually, because I literally have a built-in client list. All my pregnant ladies... They know me and trust me. I can help them deliver and I can treat their children. I would have to take some refresher classes, but that shouldn't be a problem. And we would have to modify the rooms a bit downstairs, invest in getting some equipment I'd need.”

 

“Don't want ya to have to go and deliver babies in the middle of the night. You got your own right here.”

 

“Well, we can't have everything, Daryl. There will be some small sacrifices along the way. And right now, we're just talking options. It's not set in stone. I'm merely telling you how we could make it work.”

 

Daryl silently looked at her with an unreadable expression for a moment, then he turned his head and stared back at the ceiling for a while, thinking about everything she had said.

 

“What about our boy?” he asked a little later.

 

“What about him?”

 

“You'd have patients in the mornings, but he ain't goin' to school for another three years. Who's s'pposed to be with him? You don't wanna see him grow up? You'd never see him, just like I ain't never seeing him right now.”

 

Teddy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I never had many appointments in the mornings, Daryl, because most of the ladies work, too. I could still make sure to spend a lot of time with him and then have my mom here when I have patients. There's always a way. We made it work so far, right? I wouldn't change the hours much, just tweak them a little. Don't go looking for problems, just let it sink in and think about whether or not it's something you would like to do. Everything else we'll manage. We always have and we always will.” Suddenly she laughed. “Hey, this is kind of our thing, isn't it? Every couple of years we completely change our lives. And so far it has always worked out well. Okay, except for the whole daycare thing. That one was a swinging a miss. That was probably the worst idea I ever had.”

 

“Nah...” Daryl shook his head, his lips finally displaying a tiny smile. “Makin' meatloaf was the worst idea ya ever had.”

 

“I think it's a tie.” Teddy giggled and got up on her knees to kiss him. She gently pushed some hair out of his face and tenderly kissed his forehead. “I love you, baby. We'll be fine.”

* * *

**Thank you for reading... and for your patience.**

 

**Sooooo, Daryl's not in the best place right now, mostly where work is concerned. Do you think they should go through with Teddy's idea? Will there be trouble between Teddy and Billy again over his young new gf and the whole job thing?**

 

**Thank you so much for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. I didn't think it would take me this long for inspiration to strike, but life was the worst all throughout winter. I missed this couple terribly though and I'm glad that I came up with some plot points for telling another big chapter in their lives.**

 

 


	59. Chapter 59

Daryl slowly let his teeth scrape along Teddy's earlobe, his lips slowly stretching into a little smile when he heard her breath hitch. His left hand languidly slid up her left arm and stroked along the top of her chest, until his fingers closed around her throat. He softly squeezed once, then his fingers slid a little bit higher until he cradled her chin in his palm. Then, he used his grip to tilt her head to the side, giving his mouth better access to her neck.

 

He placed a series of hot and slow, open-mouthed kisses on her skin, from the junction of her shoulder, back up to her earlobe. He growled quietly against her ear, the sound sending strong shivers down her spine. With relish, he licked his way back down to her shoulder, where he bit down gently, having Teddy giggle, which was quickly followed by a gasp, when Daryl's strong hands cupped her tender, wet breasts.

 

“This okay? Or's it hurt?” Daryl murmured against her shoulder in a low voice.

 

Teddy turned her head and smiled at him, getting a little kiss from him before she replied. “It's alright. You can touch them a bit.”

 

Another growl, then he reached for the bottle of body wash, that sat on the edge of the bath tub. Teddy smiled happily and reclined some more, resting her weight against Daryl's chest. The warm bath water sloshed around them a little bit, making Teddy sigh contentedly when she lifted her arms up over her head, and wrapped them loosely around Daryl's neck, fully offering up her chest for him.

 

He worked up a lather between his hands, before he proceeded to wash her full breasts. He bit his bottom lip and released a quiet groan as he watched his hands rub and squeeze and slide all over the tan skin of her round globes.

 

Teddy nuzzled and kissed along his jaw line and cheek, until Daryl captured her mouth with his and let his tongue mate passionately with hers, while he got his fill of finally having an all access pass to her body again. Slowly, one hand slid down her belly, reveling in each inch of skin he got to feel. Teddy tensed for a second when his hand touched the lower part of her belly, where her skin was still a pretty loose mess from the pregnancy.

 

Daryl didn't miss a beat. “All mine.” he groaned into her ear as he grabbed her belly and her left breast in his hands and squeezed possessively. He was happy that she wasn't shying away from being naked in front of him, because of it, but he knew that she was sometimes unhappy with her belly situation. Jess had been a big boy from the start and it had wreaked havoc on her body this time around. However, both of them thought that it had all been worth it.

 

He kissed her deeply and let his hands stroke over her belly some more, before he moved them to her inner thighs. He parted her legs by rubbing her thighs from her hips up to her knees and then dragging his blunt nails back down again, until his eager fingers met her core.

 

Teddy exhaled shakily when Daryl used two fingers of his right hand to slowly massage her clit. His left hand was still resting on the inside of her thigh, but his thumb slowly rubbed back and forth along her outer lips, teasing her a little in addition to the pleasure he was inflicting with his other hand.

 

She started squirming and rubbed her own hands up and down his well-muscled arms while he caressed her and kept bringing all her nerve endings to life. Just when she really got into it, he stopped.

 

Teddy's frustrated groan was met by a little laugh. “Water's getting' cold, darlin'... And I wanna eat ya the fuck up.” he murmured against her lips with a grin.

 

And that's exactly what he did, once he had her dried off and in bed. He took his sweet time kissing her body all over, until she, quite literally, begged him to stop and make her cum. She was throbbing with need, but of course, that's exactly how Daryl wanted and needed her.

 

He watched her face closely while he slipped two thick fingers up inside of her, but this time, she didn't wince. “That okay?”

 

“Yes... please, Daryl.” she begged breathlessly, her hand already buried in his dark hair and trying to pull him closer to her aching pussy.

 

She hissed loudly when she finally felt the tip of Daryl's hot, wet tongue nudging her pulsing clit. He kept doing it for a minute, until the nudges turned into little flicks and licks, and he started building a rhythm.

 

“Oh Goooood, baby... Yes... fuck, right there... oh yes.” Teddy had an iron grip on his hair and kept him firmly in place, while she ground herself against his face. “Suck it... please, Daryl... please.”

 

Daryl was in heaven. He'd longed to have her taste on his lips and his tongue again for unbearably long months. He couldn't get enough and his erect dick kept jumping excitedly. He kept teasing her for a long while, kept on edging her, until she was about to tear his hair out, because she couldn't stand the intense need to cum anymore.

 

He crawled back up her body, quickly grabbing the lube from the nightstand and spreading some of it on himself. He had succeeded in making her wet, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

Daryl kept rubbing her with his fingers and just when he felt her go over, he pushed his cock inside of her.

 

“Ooooh fuuuuuuck!!!!” Teddy moaned loudly when her first orgasm tore through her with unstoppable force.

 

“Shh shh shhhhh...” Daryl quickly put his hand over Teddy's mouth to stifle her ecstatic sounds, which were sure to get even louder within the next couple of minutes.

 

Teddy moved her head, getting her mouth free, and let out a sound between a gasp and a giggle. “What do you mean 'shhhh'? We're alone, remember?”

 

Daryl paused and looked at her for a moment, before he shook his head with a little laugh. “Damn, you're right. Guess it was **my** brain that short-circuited this time.”

 

And for good reason. He was finally inside of her again, moving in and out of her slow and gentle with shallow thrusts.

 

“How is it?”

 

“Manageable.” Teddy gasped. “Mmmm, it's pretty nice, actually... yeah, just like that... oh baby... I missed this so much.” her eyes fluttered shut as she enjoyed feeling his hard cock moving inside of her again. “Deeper.”

 

“Yeah? Ya sure?”

 

“Please.” Teddy nodded slightly in affirmation, as she let her hands slide on his butt to pull him closer.

 

Daryl shifted his position a little, then he hiked up her legs to rest higher up around his body. With one smooth movement of his pelvis, he slid inside of her all the way, until he hit her cervix.

 

Teddy jumped and inhaled sharply at the initial burst of pain, her nails digging themselves into the skin by his shoulder blades.

 

Daryl remained perfectly still. He only lowered himself on top of her and gently kissed and licked along her neck while he let her adjust to him again. “Are ya okay, sweetheart? Need me to pull out?”

 

“No.” Teddy was breathing in and out deeply. “Surprisingly, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Just feels like it needs a moment to stretch again.” she smiled up at him as she tried to relax her muscles. She giggled happily when Daryl shivered from the goosebumps she was evoking by tickling her fingertips over his butt in circles.

 

He chuckled right along with her. He was so happy in that moment, that his heart felt like it was about to burst. To finally have her like this again and seeing her enjoy herself right away again... things would finally be completely back to normal again and it felt damn good.

 

After a long moment, her tickling turned into rubbing, and soon she was pushing and pulling at him again. “Move.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah, but slow.”

 

“Wouldn't have it any other way, darlin'.” he reassured her and kissed her sweetly before he shifted again and slowly pulled almost all the way out of her, before he pushed back in, in one long, smooth stroke.

 

Teddy's reaction excited and aroused him greatly. There was no sign of discomfort on her part, just bliss-filled moans and her nails digging into his butt cheeks as she pushed her own hips up to meet him thrust for thrust. This was definitely an unexpected surprise, but an extremely fucking good one.

 

“Oh fuck... it feels so good.” Teddy moaned. “I can't believe it. It's almost like nothing happened. You can go faster, baby. Good God, please go faster.”

 

She didn't have to tell him twice. He picked up the pace, only a little at first, but when Teddy kept moaning ecstatically and kept grinding herself against him harder and faster while she clamped her muscles around him, Daryl lost control.

 

“Oh fuck, Teddy... mmmmm shit... you're drivin' me fucking crazy, girl. Aahh... fuck, baby. Ya feel so fucking good... yeah, like that... keep squeezin' 'em muscles for me, darlin'. Shit, so good...” Daryl was moaning and groaning shamelessly as he fucked into her harder and faster, just like old times. What had been supposed to be their slow and careful first time, turned wild and passionate quickly. Her boobs started bouncing enticingly, turning him on even more, before he dove in and sucked on the sensitive peaks. 

 

“Ooooh!!!!” Teddy yelled as the little pinpricks he was causing with his mouth intensified her pleasure. She slapped her hands down on his butt and pulled him to her hard, making him hump into her in earnest. “Yes! Yes! Don't stop! I'm cumming, baby, oh fuck!”

 

Their moans got louder and more primal with every thrust, both of them building towards an amazing climax. Daryl reached down and thumbed her clit, and only seconds later, his name on Teddy's lips and her nails leaving a trail of fire down his sweat-slicked back, pushed him over the edge right along with her.

 

He groaned loudly against the crook of her neck, as they clung to each other tightly, while they rode out their orgasms. They were both shaking, and so they both tightened their embraces even more and just cuddled and snuggled while their bodies started to cool down and their breathing started to return to normal.

 

Daryl blindly reached for the covers and pulled them up, but he did not move from his spot on top of her. Not just their lovemaking, the whole day had been intense and it felt good to be cradled in her arms and against her body like that. He was finally finding some much needed peace.

 

“Good Lord...” Teddy giggled quietly while she let her fingers play with his unruly hair. “Remember the first time after Kenzie? It was so wicked painful... I never ever would have thought it would be so good the first time after Jess, after all the injuries...”

 

“Right?” Daryl chuckled quietly. “But I guess after a shitty day like this, something's gotta give, huh?”

 

“Maybe.” Teddy laughed. “I'm just happy that we won't have to worry about being careful this time.”

 

Daryl nodded in agreement and moved his head to press a loving kiss right between her breasts. “Fucking love ya.” he murmured as he snuggled his head back against her chest.

 

“Same here.” she mumbled as she started to drift off into sleep.

* * *

Two days later it was Sunday. It was only mid-morning, but already Daryl started to feel his gut cramp up at the thought of having to go to work and being gone all day tomorrow. The kids distracted him a little, but at the same time they reminded him of what he would be missing in the afternoon.

 

“Momma, can I feed Jess?” Kenzie asked when it was time for another feeding.

 

“Sure, sweetie.” Teddy responded with a smile and stroked a hand over Kenzie's dark head of hair. “Let me whip up a bottle real quick.”

 

“Ya pumped last night.” Daryl reminded her that there was no need for formula right now.

 

“Oh you're right. Then let me warm that up a little.”

 

Kenzie left Teddy to it and skipped over to the couch, where Daryl was playing with Jess. Daryl had his feet planted on the sofa with his knees bent and Jess was sitting in Daryl's lap, facing his father and having his little back and head resting against Daryl's legs. He had Jess's hands in his and kept pulling on them a little bit, giving his baby boy the motivation to start pulling himself up.

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah... yeeeeahhh!” Daryl grinned and cheered his smiling son on as the little boy started to get the hang of it. “Such a strong little guy.” Daryl was beaming proudly and kissed Jess forehead, before he carefully helped him lower himself against his daddy's legs once more.

 

“Daddy, I want a kiss, too.” Kenzie pouted. She got a little jealous of Jess from time to time, but thankfully in a perfectly normal range so far.

 

Daryl kept one hand on the baby's chest, so he wouldn't squirm off his lap, and with the other hand he cradled the back of Kenzie's head and pulled her in for a little peck to her forehead. “There, better, Turtle?”

 

“Mhm.” she nodded, her eyes traveling back to her brother. “He's always smiling.” she giggled as she tickled the corner of Jess' mouth with her index finger.

 

“Yeah. He's a happy baby. It's awesome, ain't it?” Daryl grinned.

 

“Was I a happy baby?”

 

“Eerrm...” Daryl didn't know how to respond, thankfully Teddy saved him from having to reply.

 

“Cuddling with your daddy all day long? Of course you were.” Teddy called out from the kitchen, keeping to herself how much of a nightmare Kenzie had been when Daryl hadn't been around.

 

“I wanna cuddle all day long with you again, Daddy.” Kenzie pouted again and started climbing on the sofa, trying to get in on the action between Jess and Daryl.

 

Daryl lifted Jess up into the air and spread his legs, so that Kenzie was able to sit down between them. She leaned back against him and carefully took her little brother into her arms with Daryl's help. “Ya still gotta watch the head, alright Turtle?”

 

“I know, Daddy.” Kenzie sighed. They told her that practically every day. There was no way she would forget.

 

Teddy brought the bottle over and knelt next to the couch, watching Kenzie feed little Jess with a smile on her face. Daryl watched them all. He was protectively cradling both, Jess and Kenzie, in his arms, but in between, he cradled Teddy's face in one hand and caressed her skin with his thumb for a moment, with a melancholic expression on his face.

 

It was quiet. For about fifteen blissful minutes it was wonderfully quiet, all of them enjoying the moment. Even Kenzie got caught up in watching her brother.

 

It was then, that Daryl came to a decision. “I ain't goin' to work tomorrow.” he announced to her quietly, when he had Jess back in his own arms and Kenzie was off taking the bottle back to the kitchen.

 

Teddy wasn't surprised at all, she simply looked up at him with her special smile and nodded.

 

“I ain't gon' quit...” he quickly added. “Just gonna take a coupla days to think about the stuff we talked about. Think about what I wanna do.”

 

“That's a good idea, baby.”

 

“Maybe I just need a break. I might feel better after a couple of days at home.”

 

“Maybe, we'll see. Whatever you need, I'm here. But you have to talk to me, okay? Because I will have to take care of some things in case we go through with what we talked about.”

 

“As soon as I know, you'll know.” Daryl promised her.

 

“Good.” Teddy smiled and kissed him. “While you are out with the babes, I'll do some research on classes and costs and everything. Just in case.”

 

“Mhm.” Daryl nodded with an almost shy expression on his face. He felt embarrassed. He was very glad that Teddy was willing to change everything for him, but it made him feel like a whiny pussy. He was supposed to be the man and make sure his family was taken care of, no matter at what cost, but here he was, not being able to pay the cost of missing some time with his children. Teddy deserved better than that. And so, he was once again torn on the whole thing.

 

_I just gotta suck it up. I got a job where nobody bothers me and I make good cash. Can't put it all back on Teddy. Ain't fair... ain't what I want. Just gonna flip out if she makes more money than me again..._ Daryl was once again losing himself in his thoughts.

 

Teddy studied him with a frown. She was worried about him. This whole thing was clearly killing him. She cleared her throat when Kenzie came back and plopped down on her lap. The little girl noticed that something was off about her daddy today, but of course she was too young to be able to tell what was going on with him. She only noticed that he was acting differently and that he was even quieter than before.

 

“Don't forget to call Billy before you head out. Can't just stay away tomorrow without telling anyone.” Teddy reminded him gently.

 

Daryl snapped out of it and looked at her with uncertainty in his eyes. “Hm... dunno. Maybe I should go after all. Can't leave the guys hanging... Just a rough patch... Gotta get through it.”

 

“Honey, will you play with Jess for a minute?” Teddy addressed Kenzie.

 

“But we wanted to go to the lake now.” Kenzie complained.

 

“In a moment. We have to talk real quick and then Daddy will take you out, okay?”

 

“Okay.” Kenzie agreed and went over to the corner where Teddy and Daryl had set up mats and blankets and Jess' play and activity center on the floor. Teddy took Jess from Daryl and kissed his chubby cheeks before she placed him on the blanket. Kenzie turned on the activity center and started singing along to the song and showing Jess the colors and stuffed animals that got named in it.

 

Teddy went back over to the couch and sat down on the edge. She hovered over Daryl and looked him straight in the eyes. “Okay, Daryl... I love you and I will support you in whatever you want to do, but none of this back and forth crap. Alright? Because that is something that we can't afford and I won't be kept in the balance between will he or won't he for the next couple of weeks. We can do the changes we talked about, but if we do, then it all needs to happen quickly, for financial reasons and for our sanity to stay intact. I will do the research today. By tonight I'll have dates for when I would be able to take classes, I will have a to-do list and a list of things we need to get, and I will have a list of what it's going to cost us and our potential income. All you have to do is make a decision. And soon. Not just for my sake, but for yours and the kids' as well. Like you said, they are growing up fast and the longer we drag this out and the longer you stay in this limbo you're in right now, the worse it's all gonna get. So call Billy, take a couple of days to yourself and think about what you'll be able to live with in the next couple of years.”

 

“What am I even gonna tell him?” Daryl muttered quietly. “I ain't good with this shit at all.”

 

“Fine, then call him and invite him over for tonight. We'll all talk together, if that helps you out.”

 

“Thanks.” Daryl nodded shyly again. He was the worst husband in the world right now, he was sure of it. Teddy was starting to get upset with him, because he was acting like a little kid, he was aware of that. He didn't know why he was being an idiot about all of this, but somehow the whole thing kind of paralyzed him.

 

“You should get a move on. Otherwise I'll never get everything done today.” Teddy told him. She got a kiss when he finally got up and went into the bedroom to get changed. She watched him with an expression that was a mix of concern and suspicion. “Is there something you're not telling me?” she asked after she had followed him into the bedroom. “You're so... I don't know, you seem downright depressed lately. I thought talking about it and with all the options available to change our situation... I thought you'd be more relaxed again.”

 

“Imma be more relaxed again when I know what's gon' happen, I reckon.” he shrugged as he put on a clean t-shirt.

 

Teddy narrowed her eyes at him. Out of the blue, something popped into her head. “What were the nightmares about?”

 

Daryl froze.

 

_Bingo._ Teddy hadn't pressed him for more details the other night, but since he'd had another one just this last night, she couldn't help but wonder.

 

“Don't matter.”

 

“You were crying in your sleep, Daryl. In all the years we've known each other, that's never happened before. It's one hell of a coincidence that it's all happening now at the same time. You acting weird, nightmares, the whole work thing... Come on, since when do we keep secrets?”

 

Daryl sighed heavily. “Had nightmares 'bout our boy dying, alright? Didn't tell ya, because I didn't want you to freak out. Ya just started feeling better.”

 

“Ah...” Teddy sighed in relief. Now it all made more sense. “And that you wanted to be home more, did you start thinking that when the nightmares started or before?”

 

“Before. Ever since I had ta go back to work so quickly after he was born.”

 

“That means that this whole thing's been going on inside your head for several weeks and now it's getting worse, hm? Your subconscious is starting to fuck with you in your dreams, telling you that life is short and that you need to spend every available second with your kids.”

 

“Guess so.” Daryl nodded and chewed on his bottom lip nervously.

 

“Men. Why do you guys always keep everything bottled up inside until the last possible minute?” Teddy shook her head with a little laugh. “Okay, let me make it easy for you...” she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him. “Life **is** short... I think your accident proved that more than anything... Without thinking too much about it, give me a straight, spontaneous answer to my next question. Do you want to get off work around noon and come home, eat with me and Jess, then take over taking care of him, pick Kenzie up from school, fix snacks, change diapers, give baths, make dinner, do some stuff around the house and so on, every day for the next couple of years?”

 

“Mhm.” Daryl nodded. “Yeah. Sounds awesome to me.”

 

“What about me bringing in more money again?”

 

Daryl sighed. “Ain't ma favorite thing, but like ya said... can't have it all, right?”

 

“Exactly.” Teddy laughed, before she grew serious again. “Let's just do it, Daryl. You are so very clearly unhappy right now... What's there even to think about?”

 

“Just don't wanna put everything on you. That's what's makin' me hesitate, you know?”

 

“Forget about that.” Teddy smiled. “I'm actually pretty excited about the idea of being a pediatrician again. Of delivering other babies again.”

 

“For real?”

 

“For real. I love doing the yoga and the birthing classes and accompanying the girls during their pregnancy, but I always felt a little sad at the end, because I didn't really get to see it through, you know? If we do this, I will see those little munchkins get born and I get to check their development from there on out... **if** the parents decide to come see me, of course... but I don't see why they shouldn't. I think it might all work out really well. I have a good feeling about this. I feel like it's the next step. You've done so much for us in the past couple of years. You supported me in all my ventures with the daycare and with the stuff I do now. You took care of us, while I stayed home with Kenzie, now it's my turn to take care of us while you get to spend more time with them and get to do your thing. It's only fair.”

 

“You're really okay with that?” Daryl's expression started to light up. “You really wanna get back into medicine? Not just for me?”

 

“I admit, I probably wouldn't be going back, if this whole thing hadn't come up, but now I am definitely really really happy about it. I loved my job, I just wasn't able to do it anymore after everything that had happened with my father. But now I'm ready to dive back in. Bring it on.”

 

Teddy was literally able to see the weight being lifted off of Daryl's shoulders. He took a deep breath in, and it seemed like he was breathing for the first time in weeks. And then he was smiling again, making Teddy 101% sure that this was the right decision for them.

 

“Love ya. Shit... so much.” Daryl smirked.

 

“It's decided, yeah? I'll check when the next local re-entry program starts and I'll apply right away and tonight we'll tell Billy that you'll be taking a step back, effective immediately. Let him figure out what to do from here on out, serves him right if he thinks he doesn't have to listen to you.”

 

“Okay. But I still feel shitty about leaving him in a lurch outta the blue.” Daryl sighed.

 

“That's what makes you the better person.” Teddy laughed. “Now get going, before our daughter starts a mutiny.”

 

“Right.” Daryl chuckled. “Have fun planning all that shit.”

 

“Oh, I will.” Teddy grinned. She loved this stuff.

* * *

Teddy was grinding her teeth so hard, that she was pretty sure she would have to go and pay her dentist a visit the next day.

 

Billy hadn't shown up alone for dinner, of course. It was getting exhausting. The girl seemed to be surgically attached to her phone. Even Daryl was getting a little impatient with the young woman, who called herself Billy's new girlfriend.

 

“Get that thing outta ma face, girl.” he snarled when she was once again taking pictures instead of eating.

 

“What? It's just a dinner selfie.” the young girl, called Casey, pouted.

 

“No selfies at our dinner table, so please put the phone away.” Teddy didn't even bother to plaster a fake smile on her face. She might be biased, but she didn't like this girl at all.

 

“Relax.” Billy smiled. “She's just having fun.”

 

“So, is that what you are doing? Just having fun?” Teddy asked outright, making Billy's smile freeze.

 

“We're not putting a label on it for now.” Casey smiled, seemingly oblivious to Teddy's aversion towards her. “We'll just see how it goes. It's, like, all still so new.”

 

Billy cleared his throat and steered the conversation away from his love life. “What did you wanna talk about? You said it's important.”

 

“Yeah, um...” Teddy looked at Daryl, who looked very uncomfortable all of a sudden, so she took the first step in the conversation. “There's gonna be some changes around here, Billy. And it will affect you and the garage as well.”

 

“Affect me how?” Billy frowned, already not happy with the direction this was going.

 

“I'm taking a step back, man.” Daryl spoke up, while he nervously rubbed his hands up and down his thighs under the table. “Only gonna be working a half day from now on. I need more time at home.”

 

Billy's eyes grew wide. “What the hell? What? What's going on? Something with your injury? From your accident?”

 

“Nah.” Daryl shook his head. “Ain't that. I ain't happy with the way things are goin'. Told ya a million times. I wanna see my son and my daughter grow up, but I ain't never here no more. That's gonna change.”

 

“Just like that? You're just telling me. It's not up for discussion, or what?”

 

“Yeah, just like that.” Teddy nodded.

 

“Man, you can't just do that. We gotta talk about this shit.” Billy complained as he let his fork and knife clatter on the table top.

 

“I tried to talk to you a bunch, man. Ya didn't wanna hear none of it. So yeah, now I'm tellin' ya.”

 

“You know that it's gonna cut your pay big time, right? And Teddy's barely making a dime-”

 

Teddy cut him off. “I'm getting back into medicine. I already applied for a re-entry program. I stayed home with Kenzie, now Daryl wants to be here more for Jess' first years and I think it's a good idea.”

 

“Of course you do.” Billy snorted. He wanted to be petulant and tell his brother-in-law that he was fired, but since they were partners, he couldn't really do that. “So what? How's this supposed to work? You just take off around lunch?”

 

“Yeah, pretty much.” Daryl nodded.

 

Teddy and Daryl looked at Casey in surprise, when she snorted. “That's not fair. The other guys and Billy will have to work more because of you. You know that, right?”

 

“Ain't none of your damn business.” Daryl growled, while Teddy arched her eyebrow.

 

“It really isn't. And you don't know what's going on here, so why don't you keep playing with your phone while the adults talk?”

 

“Shut up, Teddy.” Billy raised his voice at his sister.

 

“No, you shut up and listen for once in your life.” Teddy shouted right back. “You are making colossal mistakes right now. You are fucking up your life and you're dragging everyone down right along with you. Not us. We won't go down with you. Daryl is taking care of himself and his family in a way that has nothing to do with money, which is something that you should have done a long time ago. Hire someone else part-time to take care of the workload. There's always some skilled retired people who are looking to keep a little busy here and there. You shouldn't have any trouble finding someone.”

 

“That's not even what I'm upset about.” Billy told her. “We're family and you're hitting me with this out of the blue?”

 

Teddy rolled her eyes. “It's not out of the blue. Like he said twice now already, he tried to talk to you a couple of times. You should pull your head out of your ass and start listening again.”

 

Billy shook his head with a little huff. “Well, since it's all already decided, I guess there's not much I can say, right? Just fucking disappointed in all of you.”

 

“Oh trust me Billy, so are we.” Teddy smiled sweetly. “We are all so very disappointed in you.” She raised her glass, filled with grape juice instead of wine. “Here's to having fun. Cheers.”

* * *

The next day Teddy felt bad about how the evening had gone. She didn't necessarily feel bad about the things that had been said, but just about the tone in general. It had her swing by Billy's office to talk to him in peace and quiet.

 

“What are you doing, Billy?” she sighed after they had gotten around the usual small talk about the kids.

 

“Ugh, Teddy please, not that again.” he was tired and rubbed his eyes hard.

 

“It feels to me like you're spiraling. You've always been a relationship guy. This hook-up with this girl, come on... that's not what you need, is it? Does it seriously make you happy?”

 

“No, but it distracts me and that has to be good enough for now.” Billy leaned back in his chair and looked out the window for a moment. “I feel like I've been in a daze and I'm only now waking up and realizing what I've done. I fucked up. I don't know what happened. With Maggie... with everything, really.”

 

“And by fucking up even more as you go along, you think it's going to get better? Well, let me tell you, that's not the case. You have to stop what you are doing. Professionally as well as personally. Your guys are overworked. You make more than enough money if you dial it back down a couple of notches. Work might be a great thing for you to hide from your personal life, but that's not the case for everybody. Other people actually want to spend time with their families instead of working overtime every damn day.”

 

“I want to spend time with my family.” Billy told her. “I miss them... I really, really miss them.”

 

“You have a very funny way of showing it, sweetie.” Teddy had to keep herself from snorting out loud. “Burying yourself in work, seeing your kids as little as possible, posting halfnaked pictures with your girlfriend on social media... Your sons don't even know who you are anymore, Billy. Johnny does, but the twins? They're gonna call you Uncle Billy soon instead of Daddy. You're not doing right by them.”

 

“Because it hurts to hand them back over. To know that this is all you're going to get.”

 

“You do realize that it's your own fault, right? Maggie would love for you to spend more time with them, but you never reach out and never make time. You always work, work, work.”

 

“Yeah, to distract me from everything.”

 

“It's a vicious circle and only you can break it.”

 

“It hurts to see Maggie. I still love her, Teddy.” Billy muttered with tears in his eyes.

 

It had Teddy smiling. “You do?”

 

“Yeah. I thought nothing was there anymore, but the longer I am away from her, the more I know that it's still all there. It just got lost for a while. Again, because of work and everything. I gave up too soon. When she told me about Glenn, I just rolled over and gave up and thought it was for the best. And now I know that it was the biggest mistake of my life. I should have fought, but I didn't feel like fighting back then. Now she's taken.”

 

“Hold on...” Teddy was at the edge of her seat. “Are you really serious? You want her back? You don't see her as just a mother, you're still really in love with her?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You're not just saying that, because you think I wanna hear it and that it might make me melt like butter and forget about all the stuff that went wrong? Sorry, but you can be a sneaky bastard, so I wouldn't put this kind of manipulation past you, so for real. You really want your wife and kids back?”

 

Billy shook his head with a humorless laugh. “Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence... but yes. I miss them and I want them back. But there's things I don't want, like living on that farm again.”

 

“I don't get you guys. You still love Maggie, but you can still have sex with Casey?”

 

“I don't feel good about it, but it takes my mind off of things. And yeah, feels good to be able to get a girl like her, gotta admit. I can't get my wife back, but I can still have Casey.”

 

“It's not too late to get Maggie back. Things with Glenn aren't serious, because she is still mourning the lost relationship with you. You guys can find your way back to each other, but Billy, you have to do something. You have to fight. Stop hiding out in here and live again. I saw the books, you are doing so well. You can stand to hire one or two new people. Hire someone for the office for a couple of hours. Get out of here and back down to the shop, get your hands dirty, fill in for Daryl and then go home for dinner and be with your kids. Daryl and I are about to change our lives again, so why don't you do it with us? Take some steps back into the right direction?”

 

“I don't know, Teddy. What if Maggie doesn't want me back?”

 

“That's a risk you will have to take, Billy. But you won't ever know if you don't give it a try. Reach out to her. Just call her randomly and ask about her day and about the boys. Make her feel special again, like they mean something to you. Just try. Do something. This whole thing you've been having going on is not working out, you gotta see that, right?”

 

“Yeah...” he was saved from saying any more by Daryl, who was off for the day now and came in to get his family.

 

“We good to go?” he asked Teddy while he went over to the baby carrier by her side, where Jess was sleeping.

 

“I think so.” Teddy smiled and looked at Billy. “Do something, alright? One way or another... make a decision and then stand by it.”

 

“I will.” Billy promised, but Teddy could never be sure if he would keep it, unfortunately. Only time would tell.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

 

**Next chapter we'll probably be in the midst of Teddy getting everything ready for being a doctor again, and everbody's favorite Merle might make an appearance again;-) So, what do we think? Will Billy take Teddy's advice or will he stick his head back into the sand? Will Daryl be able to deal with Teddy being the main breadwinner again after so many years?**

 


	60. Chapter 60

Two months later, Daryl, Merle and Carol were seated around the wooden table on Daryl's and Teddy's sundeck. Carol was bouncing 5-month old Jess on her legs, and all three adults were smiling and laughing as they watched Kenzie tickle Jess, making the baby laugh loudly until he got the hiccups.

 

“I don't think I've ever seen a baby this ticklish.” Carol laughed, infected by the baby's happiness.

 

“Ya should be there when we give him a bath and get him dressed.” Daryl chuckled. “He's like a lil' Mexican jumping bean. Squealin' yer ears off, too.”

 

“He's amazing.” Carol beamed and buried her nose in Jess' dark hair, inhaling the wonderfully addictive new baby smell.

 

Merle looked at her with adoration in his eyes as clear as day. “Too bad we're too old to have one, huh?” he smirked.

 

Carol sputtered a little in surprise, but she quickly shook it off. “I'm glad I have the worst behind me. I wouldn't want to start over. Playing aunt is so much more fun.”

 

“Yeah, ya might be right about that.” Merle agreed. “I'm prolly a better uncle than a daddy. You were always the caring one, little brother. The whole daddy thing is better suited for you, I reckon.”

 

“It's the best.” Daryl smiled absently, his attention fully focused on his laughing son.

 

“So much so that yer back to playin' housewife, huh?” Merle couldn't help himself. He had mostly kept his mouth shut about the whole thing, for the most part due to Carol and her opinion that what Daryl was doing, was a great thing and that more fathers should be that dedicated. But Merle still thought the situation wasn't quite right. Men should take care of their families. Daryl had done so well for himself, but now he was going back to being some kind of kept man. It wasn't right, so he was unable to stop himself from sending a couple of zingers Daryl's way.

 

“Shut up, man. Ain't like that and ya know it.” Daryl grumbled darkly.

 

“You had the perfect thing goin', Daryl.”

 

“It wasn't perfect.”

 

“Oh excuse me. You're right, owning yer own business and going to work every day, what a tough life you've had.” Merle mocked him.

 

“I'm still doing that, asshole.” Daryl raised his voice, making Kenzie's head snap back towards him in surprise.

 

“Daddy! You called Uncle Merle a bad word.”

 

Daryl took a deep breath, hating Merle for making him curse in front of his children. “You're right. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that.”

 

“Leave him alone, Merle.” Carol shot her partner a stern look. “I know a lot of women who would kill for having a husband like your brother. It takes a real man to do what he is doing. To communicate so openly, even with a partner, it takes a lot of guts. Your dedication to your kids is admirable, Daryl. And I think that it is truly inspiring to see you and Teddy working together on making each other happy in life like this. You compromise and you both make sacrifices and that is something not a lot of couples are able to do. It's wonderful to witness how much you trust each other. It's not as common as it should be.”

 

Daryl blushed a very dark crimson, but he send Carol a grateful nod.

 

Merle snorted. “Right, he's the real man. What am I? Chopped liver?”

 

“That's not what I'm saying, Merle. But Daryl knows what he wants and is not afraid to tell his wife. You can barely look me in the eye or talk without stuttering when you want something. I don't appreciate you making fun of him for it. That's a side of you I am not happy with, as I've told you before.”

 

“Just ain't right.” Merle muttered with a sigh.

 

“That's not for you to decide.” Carol reminded him, then she focused back on Jess, who was getting a little squirmy on her lap.

 

“Time for some milk, huh?” Daryl checked the clock on his phone and noticed that it was almost feeding time.

 

He was just about to get up, when the front door slammed shut and Teddy's happy voice reached them. “I'm hooome!”

 

“Out here.” Daryl called out for her.

 

“Heeeey.” she grinned on her way out, before she stopped short in surprise for a moment. “Oh, hi guys. Nice to see you.”

 

“Hi Teddy.” Carol smiled while Merle held up his glass in greeting.

 

“How'd it go?” Daryl asked, knowing that she'd just had an exam.

 

“Aced it.”

 

“Knew ya would.”

 

Teddy gave Daryl a big kiss, then Kenzie, before she went around the table to get Jess from Carol.

 

“Just in time. He was getting hungry.” Daryl told her with a smile.

 

“Hi, my love. Are you hungry? Yeah? Like clockwork.” she giggled and kissed him, then she sat down in the chair next to Carol and unbuttoned her blouse.

 

Merle almost spit out his tea when her nursing bra was revealed and he realized what she was about to do. “Christ, can't ya do that inside?” he complained and slightly turned his chair to face away from her.

 

“Don't like, don't look.” Teddy shrugged and proceeded to breastfeed her baby.

 

“Ain't appropriate fer me ta see that. Ain't that right little brother?”

 

“Gotta agree.” Daryl chuckled. “But I would have sent **you** inside instead of her.”

 

“Smart man.” Teddy laughed.

 

“Are ya hungry, darlin'?” Daryl asked as he noticed that she looked a little pale.

 

“I'm starving. I didn't get to eat my sandwich. It's still in my bag. I gotta be quick. I give a birthing class in less than an hour.” Teddy told him after taking a glimpse at the time.

 

“Lemme get you a plate and some tea.” Daryl offered and went inside to get her a glass of sweet tea and a clean plate. Once outside he grabbed her bag and got the sandwich out. He unwrapped it and put it on the plate for her.

 

“Thank you, baby.” Teddy squeezed his arm with her free hand, before she hungrily grabbed one half of the sandwich.

 

“To have your energy.” Carol smiled. “How much longer do you have to do that program?”

 

“Depends on how long it takes me to go through all the material. I decided on an online program that focuses on medical updates in the specialties I chose. It's easier to juggle with the kids and work than the other program, where I would have had to go to the clinic everyday. This way I only have to go in once a week for an interview and an exam. It's exhausting, but it's really helpful and once I'm practicing again I'll be able to sleep better knowing that I'm up to date on all the new things in the world of obstetrics and pediatrics.” Teddy explained smilingly, before she winced. “Hey, ease up you little vampire. Okay, I think he is definitely starting with teething.”

 

“Damn, that ain't fun at all.” Daryl groaned, remembering the horrible sleepless nights with Kenzie all too well.

 

“I'll check his gums when he is done drinking, but I think we're in the ball park here.”

 

“Little early, ain't it?” Daryl frowned as he leaned forward on the table.

 

“Yeah, a little, but it's not uncommon for some kids to start early. Johnny had his first tooth when he was just four months old. On the other hand, the twins only got their first tooth shortly after their first birthday. It's not an exact science... But I think we should start him on solids now.”

 

“Well, if he gives ya trouble and y'all need a break, just bring 'em over.” Merle told them. “Been a while since we had them.”

 

“You ain't never had our boy over yet.” Daryl reminded his older brother. “A baby's a little different than a toddler.”

 

“You think I don't know that?”

 

“I'm just saying, watching them both by yourself is a lot to take on.”

 

“I ain't alone, got my lady around, ain't that right, Sweet Pea?” he asked Carol without looking at her. Turning around to look at her would mean risking getting an eyeful of Teddy's breasts.

 

“Well, Sophia is coming home from boarding school over Christmas break. I won't be around too much then, so don't make any promises you can't keep.” Carol smirked.

 

“How does she like boarding school?” Teddy asked. She was interested because she had gone to boarding school, too, and she knew it wasn't for everyone.

 

“She likes it. I miss her terribly, but it's good for her.” Carol smiled with a bit of sadness passing over her features for a second. “She is very independent, but she likes things organized. Our life here, during the divorce, it was all very chaotic with the back and forth with her father and everything else. It was too much for her. She wanted to get away from it all. So when her friend told her about going to Boston for boarding school, she did her research and then asked if she could go, too, so she could have a fresh start.”

 

“How old is she again?”

 

“She's 17.”

 

“Wow.” Teddy was impressed. “So young, but she already figured out what's good for her and removed herself from the situation. Smart girl.”

 

“She is. Very intuitive, too. I'm very proud.”

 

Kenzie hopped up on Daryl's lap. “What's intutive?”

 

“Intuitive.” Daryl corrected her. “It means that she just knows what to do. She feels it, ya know? Like when you saw that big snake, you knew not to move, without thinking about it. That's intuitive.”

 

“Like when I eat chocolate at Uncle Merle's and he tells me not to eat the last piece, because it will give me a tummy ache? He just knows it will make me sick?”

 

“Ha, that's more from experience, Princess.” Merle laughed. “Ain't gon' have ya barf all over my carpet ever again.”

 

“But that was, because I had ice cream for dinner and chocolate for dessert.”

 

“You ain't s'pposed to tell that to your parents, you little bugger.” Merle reached over and tickled her, making the little girl giggle and squeal.

 

“I'm sorry.” she gasped. “Daddy help me!”

 

“Nah, Turtle. Ya brought this onto yourself.” Daryl grinned and let Merle grab her off his lap.

 

Merle tossed her around like a ragdoll and tickled her mercilessly until she was all red in the face and was barely able to catch her breath. Only then did he pull her to sit on his lap and wrapped his big, strong arms around her. “Our lil' princess. Promise your old Uncle Merle that yer gon' stop growin' up now, alright?”

 

“Okay. I'll put it on my wish list for Santa.” the little girl giggled as she cuddled into Merle's broad chest.

 

“Good plan, Princess.”

* * *

Daryl sighed and looked at the alarm clock for what felt like the hundredth time. It was close to midnight and Teddy still wasn't in bed. She had wanted to check something on one of her lists real quick, before she would join him in bed. That had been almost an hour ago.

 

He knew that it was very easy for her to get caught up in all of her planning, but she had a hard time focusing on herself and her well-being while she was at it. He knew it was his job to take care of her and make sure that she also took care of herself. It was why he got back out of bed and padded back into the great room on bare feet. Goosebumps quickly formed on his skin, because it was December and not warm enough to run around without socks at night, but he had never been the kind of guy to have slippers next to his bed. He'd rather bear a pair of cold feet for a minute or two.

 

He found her exactly where he had left her, standing in front of the dining table and shuffling through an ass-load of papers.

 

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the side of her neck. “Come on, enough for now, darlin'. You need your sleep.”

 

“Just one more minute.” Teddy mumbled absently as she looked through another stack of papers.

 

Daryl didn't say anything. Something on the table had caught his attention. With a frown marring his handsome features, he let go of her halfway and reached around her to grab a piece of paper from the table. “What's this?”

 

“Hm?” Teddy looked up and checked what he was scowling at. “That's the ultrasound machine I'm looking at tomorrow.”

 

Daryl's gaze quickly snapped from the flyer over to her face. “Ya wanna get that?!?” he asked in an incredulous tone of voice.

 

“Yeah. I need one. I don't want to have to send the ladies to the hospital for every sonogram.”

 

“It's 30,000 dollars, Teddy!” Daryl sputtered, thinking (or more like hoping) that he was already asleep and dreaming all of this.

 

“I know, right? It's a steal. They're 125,000 dollars when you get them brand new.” Teddy wasn't perturbed by Daryl's little outburst. She had known that it would happen.

 

“Woman...” Daryl tossed the flyer back on the table and started pacing, grabbing fistfuls of his own hair while he tried to find the right words. “Ya can't... I knew the whole thing would cost us a big-ass chunk of our savings, but this? We won't have nothin' left for emergencies, Teddy.”

 

“I know that it looks that way right now, but we'll be fine. The machine is pricey, yes, but in the end it will make us more money, you know? It's a good investment. I put out some feelers and all the mommys-to-be would be very happy about not having to drive all over the place for everything and see a bunch of different doctors. This way, they would only have to come to me, and the more I can do for them, the more money in the bank it is for us, baby. Also, it's the end of the year and the bonus check from your business is coming in soon, already giving us back some security in case of an emergency.” Teddy tried to placate him, but she knew it would only work so much. Honestly, she was nervous about spending so much money as well, but from her talks with the pregnant ladies in her birthing class, she knew that she already had a lot of future patients, which would make the ultrasound machine practically pay for itself.

 

Daryl's exasperated expression didn't change. Teddy's explanation hadn't done anything to ease his worries about spending that kind of money. “I ain't never gon' sleep again now.” he sighed as he kept pacing.

 

“Daryl, honey... please calm down. Even working only a half day, you will make more money than I am making right now. Add to that my new income and we will actually have more money every week or every month than we have right now. We'll be able to rebuild our savings. Sure, not overnight, but we'll have enough in just a couple of months. I can still try to stay on track with the couponing. Everything will work out fine.”

 

Her words were met by silence. He just gave her a look that told her that he wasn't so sure about the whole thing. It pissed her off and hurt her at the same time.

 

“Really, Daryl? You can't friggin' trust me with this? Do you honestly think I would risk us going broke or something?”

 

“Man, I'm just tired.” he sighed. “Don't wanna talk right now. Let's just sleep or it's just gon' end up in a fight.”

 

Teddy knew her husband well enough to know, that her telling him over and over again that they would be fine, wouldn't work. He would only believe it once he saw it for himself. So she didn't argue. Instead, she walked around him, hugged him from behind and walked him into their bedroom.

 

“Want a shoulder rub, honey?” she asked when he switched off the lights in the great room as they passed the switch.

 

“Mhm.” his tone was tired as he nodded his head yes. He took off his t-shirt and laid down on his front while Teddy parked herself on his butt and gave his shoulders and back a good kneading. No more words were exchanged that night. Daryl soon fell asleep and Teddy sank down on the mattress and took a quick nap until Jess wanted to be fed again.

* * *

“Mmmmm... Oh..... Daryl... Oh fffffffff...” she didn't get to finish the curse word. Daryl's slow, but long and deep thrusts took her breath away. Literally. That, paired with the sensations the small vibrator, which she was pressing against her clit, was creating, was quickly building the intensity of their spontaneous early morning love-making to epic proportions.

 

After last night's thing with the ultrasound machine, Daryl had been surprised to wake up in such good spirits this morning, but he'd decided to just go with it and wake up Teddy the special way, with his head between her legs.

 

“Faster, baby, please.” Teddy begged him when she felt herself getting closer to her first orgasm. “Yeeesss!!!” she moaned when Daryl obliged, but it still wasn't enough. “Harder. Fuck me, please, please, please fuck me. Harder, baby. Fuck me like you're mad at me.” she pleaded mindlessly.

 

Daryl halted all motions as a little laugh burst out of him. “Fuck you like I'm mad at you? You're too fucking cute, ya know tha'?”

 

“Dear God, fuck me like I'm cute, then, but please Daryl, I beg you... get to it.” she growled and slapped and grabbed his butt with her free hand.

 

“Love when you get impatient.” Daryl chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Now get those legs up for me, sweet girl.”

 

He repositioned himself slightly, then Teddy lifted both her legs up and let them rest on his shoulders, which were probably only made for that special purpose.

 

“ **OH!** ” Daryl quickly covered Teddy's mouth with his hand, after the ecstatic, loud yell had escaped from her lips. More soon followed, this time stifled by his palm. 

 

“Shhhhhh...” Daryl wanted to tell her to keep it down, but he had trouble doing that himself. His hips were moving with practiced precision. His rhythm was quick, and his thrusts were hard and deep. The sound of their bodies slapping together and the distinct smacking sound her liquid arousal caused, were music to his ears. Teddy was so warm and wet, and the gentle waves of her constricting walls were massaging his hard length just right. “Mmmmm... fuck...” he grunted, causing Teddy to cover his mouth with her hand, just like he was doing to her. 

 

They shared a stifled, breathless laugh, before Daryl's next hard thrust made them both moan against each others hands again. He gave her what she had wished for and gave it to her good and hard. When he felt her wet orgasm all over himself, his eyes literally rolled back into his head as his own release came over him just as hard and fast as he had fucked her. 

 

Their bodies soon cooled and their breathing returned to normal, and Daryl's ears picked up Teddy's happy giggle, which had a smile break out on his lips.

 

“Mmmm, that was a nice surprise, baby.” Teddy grinned into his ear. “Wasn't expecting that...”

 

Daryl lifted his head at her words. He didn't say anything, not yet, instead he simply looked at her with a tender expression on his face as he gently pushed some hair away from her sweaty forehead. After a moment he put both hands on her head, cradling it lovingly while he gave her a long, sweet kiss. “Do what you gotta do. I trust ya.” he told her quietly, but sincerely. “You trusted me with your inheritance... Ain't gonna lie, not havin' that money in the bank is gonna make me hella nervous, but I trust ya with this.”

 

“Thank you.” Teddy smiled, proud that he was getting over his bullshit and that he was supporting her in this. She would have bought the machine one way or another, but it was good to know that she wouldn't have another fight on her hands about the matter. 

* * *

Only a handful of miles north of the Dixon's house, someone else was laying in bed with a big smile on their face.

 

Her phone started vibrating on the pillow next to her, and Maggie felt the butterflies in her stomach fluttering to life and her heart skipped a beat, as she looked at the picture of a smiling Billy, holding their three sons in his arms, pop up on the display. It was her favorite picture and she had only recently made it his pic in her contacts again, so that it now would show up again every time he called... which had been a lot recently. 

 

Glenn had helped her heal a little after all the hurt she and Billy had put one another through. He had made her feel like a desirable woman again, which she had soaked up thoroughly, but in the end, that was all it would ever be. She had been infatuated with Glenn, but she hadn't been in love. Distance made the heart grow fonder, which had definitely been the case with her and her estranged husband. The breakup had been awful for everybody involved, but in the end it had given them perspective and it had helped them realize what they truly wanted. They wanted each other and they wanted their family. 

 

Thankfully Teddy had gotten through to her brother. He had been too chicken shit to get in touch with Maggie after he had pulled away from her and the kids, but Teddy had helped him get his act together, so shortly after her visit to the garage, Billy had picked up the phone and had called his wife after a long, long time of radio silence. 

 

His stomach had been in knots, but the talk had been wonderful. Just hearing her voice again had made his day. Maggie hadn't brought up the fact that he'd neglected his family that first time. She had been happy that he had finally reached out, so they had kept their talk casual, just like the one after that. Then they had met for brunch one day a couple of weeks ago and that's when they had had a long and serious talk, putting everything on the table. 

 

Both wanted to get back together, but things had to change and compromises would have to be made on both sides. Billy agreed to work less and Maggie agreed to finally move off the farm. They both agreed that their family would come first and Billy vowed that he would put them first this time around, instead of work. 

 

Still, they had decided to take things slow while they looked for a house in Teddy's and Daryl's neighborhood. They wanted a piece of land, too, so that their children wouldn't have to give up their ability to run around outside all day. A big backyard would not cut it, so they wanted something like Teddy and Daryl had, which wasn't that easy to get. It was a good thing that they weren't in a rush. They were both enjoying this period of reconnecting right now, and taking things one day at a time.

 

“Hey.” Maggie smiled into the phone after picking up.

 

“God, I love hearing your voice first thing in the morning.” Billy's voice was still hoarse from sleep, but Maggie was still able to hear his gorgeous smile in it. 

 

“Did you just wake up?” she laughed quietly and plopped on her back to get comfortable again.

 

“Yeah, like, two minutes ago.”

 

Maggie held the phone away from her ear and quickly tapped her finger down on the FaceTime symbol. 

 

“Oh hell, what are you doing?” Billy groaned with a laugh, but he accepted the invitation. A couple of seconds later, the picture of her rumpled, but happy husband appeared on her screen.

 

“I wanna see you.” Maggie smiled contentedly. “You look so cute with your bed head.”

 

“You're beautiful.” Billy told her with a proud smile. “I miss waking up to this sight.”

 

“Soon.” Maggie told him. “Are you coming over for breakfast?”

 

“I actually have to decline...” Billy smiled apologetically.

 

Maggie's stomach sank. So much for putting them first. Surely he wanted to head into work early.

 

“Why?” she asked as her smile faltered.

 

“I wanna go see Teddy. I wanna be around her more again, too... She's super busy these days, but this morning she's free, so we wanna get together for an hour or two. Rain check?”

 

Maggie's smile returned and it was accompanied by a sense of relief. He really was making an effort, not just with her, but with everyone. “Of course.” she smiled her big happy smile again. “I'm glad you're spending more time with her. She missed you, too.”

 

“I know. Maybe I'll swing by for a late lunch? If that's okay?”

 

“You know what? I have some errands to run in town, so why don't I come by the garage with the twins and some food? I don't want you to run yourself ragged with driving back and forth all day long.” Maggie suggested.

 

“That sounds awesome. I'm looking forward to it.” 

 

“Then it's a date.”

 

“Great.” Billy smiled. “I hate to let you go, but I gotta get up and get ready.”

 

“Same here. I have to get the boys up now. Don't want Johnny to be late for school.”

 

“Give them a kiss from me.”

 

“Will do. I'll see you later, Billy.”

 

“Bye, Maggie.”

 

They shared a smile over the camera, then they ended the call and both stared at their respective ceilings with huge smiles on their faces.

* * *

“There she is.” Billy smiled and went towards Teddy's car to help her get the car seat out. He had arrived a little early, so he'd had to wait a couple of minutes until Teddy had been back from dropping Kenzie off at school.

 

“Hi.” Teddy smiled as he kissed her cheek. “Sorry, have you been waiting long?”

 

“No. No worries. I was early, you're fine.” He smiled at Jess and tickled his little belly before he lifted the car seat out of the back. 

 

“Oh, good. We were running a little late this morning.” Teddy grinned. “Mommy and Daddy woke up early.”

 

“Ahhh...” Billy laughed, catching her drift. “Good for you.”

 

“Right?!” Teddy giggled as she unlocked the door. “Come on in then.”

 

They went inside and Teddy “updated” the breakfast table a little, so she could have a second breakfast with her twin brother. Billy sat down with Jess in his lap and watched her going back and forth between the fridge and the table. 

 

“Are you okay? You look a little pale.” he asked after he had studied her for a moment.

 

“Oh, you know... A little stressed right now with everything that's going on. I haven't been sleeping much and I haven't been eating well, but I'm fine, don't worry.” Teddy smiled. “Gosh, but I'm starving. Good thing that you coming over is forcing me to sit down and eat.” she laughed and joined him at the table. 

 

“Yeah, you need it... or your milk supply goes kaput, right?”

 

“Right. But we're bottle feeding him partially already and I might start him on solids today or tomorrow, so not like I need to breastfeed him anymore. However, I'm still producing plenty. And despite all the stress, I still haven't lost all my pregnancy weight.”

 

“Hm...” Billy furrowed his forehead as he looked at her again. Usually Teddy always got as thin as a rail when she was stressed. When she had still lived in Seattle and had worked crazy long shifts, she had been so scary thin, her legs had looked like matches, that might snap in two at any moment. This was not the case this time. Yeah, she was a bit pale, but overall she looked very happy... almost glowing. Suddenly Billy started laughing. “Oh shit.”

 

“What?” Teddy frowned. “What's so funny? What happened? Oh my God, don't you dare compare me to our mother or some shit like that.”

 

“You're pregnant.” Billy stated, still laughing.

 

Teddy literally spit her coffee on her plate and started choking on the little bit that had made it down her throat. “What the hell?” she sputtered and coughed. “Are you going mental?”

 

“You just said it yourself, you're stressed and you're not losing weight. That's not you. Obviously you and Daryl are already having sex again, so, it's possible.”

 

“Shut up. No way in hell.” Teddy tossed a piece of toast at her brother. “You're probably just projecting.”

 

“What's that mean?”

 

“Now that you're all lovey-dovey with Maggie again... maybe you're thinking about having another one?”

 

“Oh come on. That's fucking crazy talk, Teddy. We're not even fully back together yet.”

 

“I know, I was kidding.” Teddy winked. “But can I just say how happy I am that you guys are actually getting back together?”

 

“You can.” Billy smiled. “It's a good thing.”

 

“It is. I knew it wasn't over. There has always been so much love between you guys. I couldn't believe that that was supposed to be just gone all of a sudden.”

 

“It felt like it was. For a while it really did. We were both caught up in all the wrong things and lost ourselves for a while.”

 

“Thank God you found yourselves and each other again. I'm so happy for you. It feels like everything is right with the world again now.”

 

“Yeah, it does.” Billy agreed. “And this time I'm not gonna be a stupid fuck and ruin everything.”

 

“Can I remind you of that, if you do start do go down that road again?”

 

“Anytime.” Billy huffed, hoping that it would never have to come to that. “Hey, ummm... Thanks for kicking my ass. Don't know if I would have had the balls to call her if you hadn't talked some sense into me...”

 

“You're welcome... it's what I'm here for.” 

 

The siblings had a nice, relaxed breakfast, before they went about their day. At noon Daryl came home and had lunch with Teddy, before she left to run her errands and to check out the ultrasound machine. He spent his afternoon caring for Jess and playing with him and Kenzie. He bundled them up and took them for a walk. Unfortunately it was December and unusually cold and Kenzie soon complained about her face hurting from the icy wind, so they cut their walk short and Daryl quickly took them back home. His little turtle got a hot chocolate with marshmallows to warm up and Jess got a nice, warm bottle of formula. They cuddled up on their big sofa and played around a bit until it was time for him to get dinner started.

 

Kenzie kept her little brother occupied and Daryl kept an eye on them from the kitchen, looking up every other minute while he marinated some steaks. He was pleasantly surprised when he heard the front door open and close way sooner than he'd anticipated.

 

“Hey.” he smiled and went to greet her with a kiss when she came walking around the corner and into the kitchen area.

 

“Hey.” Teddy kissed him back, but her tone was very curt. 

 

Daryl frowned and studied her with concern. “What's wrong?” he kept his voice low, not wanting to alert Kenzie to Teddy's presence just yet. He wanted an answer first.

 

“We have a problem.” Teddy whispered as she reached into her purse. She pulled something out of it and put it on the kitchen counter. 

 

It took a moment for Daryl to realize that it was a pregnancy test, but then realization hit him hard.

 

_ Positive. _

* * *

** Thank you for reading. **

 

** Happy 60 th chapter everybody. **

 

** Thoughts? **

 

** Thank you for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. **

 


	61. Chapter 61

Daryl stood hunched over the kitchen counter, supporting himself on his hands, which were balled to fists, and chewed frantically on his bottom lip. He kept staring at the positive pregnancy test in front of him, absolutely speechless and incredibly unsure of what to do or say now.

 

His head was a mess. Sorting through everything he was feeling right now was a near impossible challenge. First and foremost, though, he felt guilt. Guilt, because he wasn't happy. Not one single bit. He'd been ecstatic over finding out about Kenzie and Jess, but this one? Nothing... nothing positive, at least... And this lack of joy was eating him up alive in a matter of seconds.

 

_I ain't my old man... I ain't rejecting my kid, but fuck... this just ain't the right time. Three is too much for us. Christ, what if it's twins? Nah... God... fucking hell... what a mess..._

 

Teddy let him be. She put her purse down on the dining table and took off her coat and hung it up by the front door. She waved at Kenzie, who was waving back at her, but made no move to greet her otherwise. Pretty much the usual where the mother-daughter pair was concerned. Only on rare occasions did Teddy get a hug or a kiss.

 

“Why didn't ya say nothin'?” Daryl's tone was accusatory, making her halt in her tracks as she went to stand next to him.

 

“What the hell do you mean? I found out an hour ago.”

 

“But why did ya take the test in the first place? Musta suspected something, so why the fuck didn't ya tell me?” he whisper-yelled at her.

 

“I didn't suspect a thing. Billy and I were talking this morning and I told him about not losing weight even though I was so busy, and he was like 'You're pregnant'. I didn't take him seriously, but the more I thought about it, the more insecure I became. He was right with Kenzie back in the day, so I thought before I take painkillers for my headaches or before I pick up smoking, because I desperately feel like having a cigarette, and before I have a big glass of wine with my dinner, maybe I'd better check. Trust me, I was just as surprised as you are. But I think it's official. You do have bionic swimmers.” Teddy did that whisper-yell thingy right back at him.

 

“Shut the fuck up.” Daryl angrily shook his head before he let it fall between his shoulders. “This ain't my fucking fault.”

 

Teddy's eyes widened and she scoffed loudly at his words. “But it's mine? Are you fucking kidding me? Are you seriously mad at me right now?”

 

He didn't reply, but he gave her a look that told her very clearly that he was extremely pissed at her. He couldn't even explain why, but it was how he felt. Probably because anger was his go-to emotion when he was overwhelmed, confused, insecure, scared, and so on and so on.

 

“Great.” Teddy huffed. “Just what I need. I understand that this is what you do, Daryl, but I still don't fucking appreciate you taking it out on me every damn time. This is not my fault, either. It's nobody's fault. It just happened, so don't you dare make me feel like shit even more than I already do.” Teddy's voice broke as the tears in her eyes finally spilled over and down her cheeks.

 

Again, Daryl didn't say anything. Instead, he went to the front door, grabbed his jacket and his keys, and left without a word. Teddy breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the door slam shut. She couldn't take more of his angry glares right now, so she was glad that she would get spared for now. She hoped that he would go and blow off some steam while he was out, and that he would return home a lot calmer, so they could have a civilized conversation about this new situation.

* * *

Daryl had grabbed an ax and had taken his frustrations out on a couple of blocks of wood. They needed the chopped wood for the fireplace anyway, so at least he had been able to get rid of his anger in a productive way. He felt calmer when he was done, but he didn't feel better. He just wasn't able to be happy about this. No matter how he looked at it, their lives were about to get overwhelmingly challenging.

 

He stacked the chopped wood and took some of it back inside with him. He heard Teddy's voice coming from Kenzie's room, reading the little girl her bedtime story. Daryl used the time to get a fire started in their fireplace, then he went to take a long, scalding hot shower. When he was dressed again, he checked on Jess, who was sleeping peacefully in his crib, before he went back into the great room.

 

Teddy was cuddled up on the couch by now, silently staring into the flames. Daryl sank down next to her with a sigh. “How ya feelin'?”

 

“Oh, just peachy.” was her sarcastic reply.

 

“I'm sorry 'bout earlier.”

 

“I know.” Teddy sighed. “You're not happy either about this, are you?”

 

“Hate myself for sayin' it... but no... ain't happy.” Daryl admitted, and he was deeply ashamed for it. “Dunno how on Earth we're gon' make this work.”

 

“When this one is born, Jess will only just have celebrated his first birthday. He will take his first steps right around that time. Things will get harder then already, add a newborn to that and my job,... I can't start taking patients only to have to close down again for a couple of months.”

 

“And we ain't got no fucking room for a third kid. Still ain't even started building our boy's room.” Daryl added. “We'll prolly have ta move... find something bigger. Can't afford to build room after room. Cheaper to sell this place and get a bigger house with just a backyard.” Daryl felt sick to his stomach when he thought about giving up his dream house. He would do it for his family, of course, but his whole body ached just thinking about it.

 

“I don't wanna move...” Teddy's voice broke again and fresh tears ran down her face when she looked at him. “I don't want this, Daryl. I don't want to be pregnant again. I don't want to give birth again. I don't want to give up even more... But I can't get rid of it. It's like you said, back when I was pregnant with Kenzie, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.”

 

“Same here.”

 

“What do we do? I'm so scared and so tired and... I don't know what else... why can't I be excited? A baby is always a good thing, but I can't even think about it being in there... Just the thought of going through it all again, especially so soon, it's so exhausting.” Teddy cried and sought comfort in her husband's embrace.

 

Daryl wrapped his arms around her and held her to him as tightly as possible. “I know, darlin'. I know. I don't want you to have to go through it again. But it was s'pposed to happen, I reckon. Nothin' we can do now. We'll get through it. We'll manage. It's what we do, hm?” he tried to see the positive side, but it was hard to do, because right now the negative aspects of this new pregnancy were seriously outweighing the positive ones.

 

“I made an appointment with Dr. Hainesworth. It's in three weeks... Well, until then, I guess we'll just keep doing our thing and try to get used to the idea of having three kids.”

 

“Yeah.” Daryl agreed and gently raked his finger through her long hair. “How are you feeling, darlin'? No morning sickness?”

 

“No. Nothing so far. I feel tired and achey, but that's no surprise considering how much stuff I've had to take care of lately. Running back and forth all day every day... But I don't feel sick. I feel weird... empty kind of... This whole thing is so weird. But no, I'm not sick or anything.”

 

“Ya ain't been eating.”

 

“Because I don't have enough time. I'm starving all the time, though. Oh man, I can't have another big baby... I can't get ripped to shreds again. Why is the universe doing this to us?” Teddy lamented, making Daryl shrug.

 

“Wish I'd know. Guess someone out there wants to know what we're really made of.”

 

“Awesome.”

* * *

Teddy and Daryl were looking forward to Jess' first Christmas, but of course, Teddy started feeling worse just in time for the festivities. Thankfully she got spared the morning sickness this time, but she felt weak and exhausted and she was hurting, like when she had been pregnant with Kenzie. She figured that she probably had another cyst that was causing most of the pain. She seemed to be prone to them, which sucked, but as long as they were harmless, there was not much to worry about.

 

On Christmas Eve, after they had tucked their kids in, Teddy was cuddled up against Daryl in front of the fireplace. He held her in his arms and gently stroked his hands over her arm and back, trying to ease the tension he felt in her rigid body.

 

“You know, I was thinking...” he broke the silence with his quiet, raspy murmur. “Maybe things will work out. I can stay home completely for a couple of months, like with Little Turtle. You can go straight back to work if you wanna... We can bottle feed from the start. It means less stress for you. I can do it all, getting up at night for the feedings and shit... When I go back to work, we can move your momma in, maybe.”

 

“No, we can't. She would drive me nuts. And she's getting old, Daryl. She can't handle Jess and a new baby at the same time. Not anymore. She loves the kids and they kept her alive after my dad died, but she aged, like, three times as fast as usual in the past couple of years. Her heart is acting up, too, you know that. She can't do it anymore. One kid, yeah, for a couple of hours, probably, but not two. Not a toddler, that probably just started walking, and a newborn. It will be tough enough for us already.”

 

“If the new baby is like Jess, it might be a piece of cake.”

 

Teddy scoffed at that. “Yeah, but if it's like Kenzie, it's going to be hell on Earth, baby.”

 

“Yeah.” Daryl sighed deeply. “Maybe.”

 

Teddy looked up at him and gently stroked her hand along his cheek and jaw. “You're getting excited, aren't you?”

 

“Mhm.” he nodded slightly. “Now that the shock's wearin' off... I know that we can do it. I also know that it's gon' be hard as hell, but we've been through so much shit, I know that we can do it all.”

 

“Maybe. But probably not alone.”

 

“Yeah, but your momma's out, so we're gonna have to.”

 

“Maybe not. There's still the option of hiring a nanny. Just for the couple of hours in the morning until you're off work.”

 

“Now hold up... What happened to not havin' a lot of patients in the mornin'?” Daryl did not like the direction he was taking. Not at all.

 

“A new baby happened to it. With three kids, we can no longer be selective. Especially not if we bottle-feed it. Formula ain't cheap.” Teddy laughed humorlessly. “Gotta take all the patients I can get.”

 

“So you're gon' work more, just ta pay for a damn nanny? That don't make sense.”

 

“It's not just for the nanny. We need savings, as you said, we need more room, and since we're in the middle of remodeling downstairs, we can't exactly move, so we will have to build either two rooms for the two babes or a big one for the two little ones to share.”

 

“Sharing a room? That sucks.”

 

“Not for the first couple of years. It will be alright. They're so close in age, I don't think it will give them much trouble until they're in elementary school. That gives us a couple of years to think of another solution.”

 

“Right.” Daryl had to agree on the room issue, but the nanny thing still rubbed him the wrong way. “I don't like having strangers around our kids. I don't want a nanny.”

 

“Billy and I had a nanny and we turned out okay.”

 

“Ya ain't got no relationship with your folks, though.”

 

“We got raised by nannies. That won't be the case with our children, Daryl. It's only for 5-6 hours a day and not 24/7. And we'd get to know her or him, before we trust them with our kids. We'd only hire someone we both like.”

 

“Did ya just say 'him'? Nah, no way. Pretty boy, like Turtle's teacher, huh?”

 

“Awwww, I love when you're jealous.” Teddy giggled. “But I wouldn't even interact with him much, since I'll be downstairs. It would be you who hands the kids over in the mornings and relieves the nanny or manny of duty at noon. So if anyone should be worried, it's probably me.”

 

“Yeah, like I'd ever do shit...” Daryl scoffed, before he looked at her curiously. “Are ya really not exited? Not even a little bit?”

 

“A little, maybe... I don't know. There's so much going on right now, I don't know how to feel. I'm just so tired of being pregnant... I so don't feel like doing it again, especially with all the pain crap starting up already. And I will most definitely consider an elective C-section this time. All those injuries were a bitch.”

 

“Can't blame ya.” Daryl sighed. “But you were the one who wanted to do it that way, remember?”

 

“I do. This time I'm smarter though.”

 

“Good... Think it's a girl?”

 

“Well, since this is starting to be just like when I was pregnant with Kenzie, the odds might be in your favor.”

 

“Ain't like that. I don't care-”

 

“Oh bullshit.” Teddy laughed. “If that's the case, why did you ask? Come on, I know you. You'd love to have another little princess.”

 

“I love our boy, too.” Daryl felt like he had to defend himself.

 

“Of course you do. I know that. You love them both to death, but I just know a little girl would have you grinning from ear to ear just a liiiiiiittle bit more.”

 

“That bad?”

 

“Not at all, honey. You prefer girls, I prefer boys. It's okay. You don't let them feel it, so all is good.”

 

“I hate that you let 'em feel it.” The words had slipped out of his mouth, before he'd been able to stop himself. He cringed internally, but it was too late to take it back. It was out there now.

 

“I know you do.” Teddy said, completely calm, and her lack of reaction shocked Daryl.

 

“So ya know that what you're doin' ain't right? But ya just don't care?”

 

“Don't make a big deal out of it. I love Kenzie, and it's not like I'm neglecting her or emotionally abusing her or something. We simply don't get along. We made way too many mistakes with her. I know you don't wanna accept it, but she's a brat, Daryl. Plain and simple. She is not a nice, well-behaved child. She can be sweet, but most of the time she doesn't want to be. But that doesn't change the fact that I love her dearly. If she would call me tomorrow and told me that she had killed someone, I'd still totally be all 'Okay, where do you wanna bury the body, honey? I'll bring the shovels.' I'm not my mother. I won't tell her she's a thorn in my side or shit like that. She isn't. But my love for her still doesn't make me blind to the truth. We fucked her up.”

 

“I'm goin' to bed.” Teddy was right, Daryl didn't like hearing it. He knew she was right, but he preferred denying it. He didn't want to fight on Christmas, so he had decided to end this talk abruptly.

 

Teddy let him go and she didn't follow him. She tried to get comfortable and pressed a pillow to her achy abdomen. She knew that Daryl was hurt, every time this topic came up, and that he needed his space to shake it off again. She didn't mind giving it to him. She liked being on the couch in front of the fire and staring at their beautiful Christmas Tree. She couldn't wait until Jess was older and would rip apart the wrapping paper, cheeks all red and eyes glowing from all the excitement, just like Kenzie was always doing it. She closed her eyes and imagined a third child sitting between them, fumbling around with a small package. Of course she involuntarily imagined a little dark haired boy, his hands still a little too clumsy to really grab the paper and tear at it. She saw him frown, so much like his daddy, and then she saw him bang the little package against his chubby thighs in frustration, getting his gray-colored wooly tights caught on a corner and then tugging to get it back free with little grunts leaving his little mouth.

 

Teddy fell asleep with a little smile playing along her lips.

* * *

The next day after they had unpacked gifts with the kids, they had their traditional Christmas lunch in Jasper at Grandma Bernie's house.

 

Merle was celebrating Christmas with them and was tagging along. He was not good company, though. He was majorly bummed out. He had planned on spending Christmas with his lady and Sophia, but unfortunately, Sophia didn't want that. The young girl wasn't ready to meet a new man in her mother's life just yet and had asked her mother that they spend Christmas alone. Of course Carol had accepted and respected Sophia's boundaries. Merle kind of understood where Sophia was coming from, but he was still in a bad mood about the whole thing. He was uncharacteristically quiet and kept to himself.

 

Teddy was in a mixed mood. She enjoyed sitting around the table with everyone. Especially now, that Billy and Maggie were sitting next to each other and smiling at each other and being affectionate again. Still, she had tears in her eyes when she stared at the empty seat at the head of the table. During the holidays, she was reminded how terribly she missed her father. He would have loved this. Having four grandsons and one little princess as a granddaughter? He would have had a ball with this. It still hurt, that after all the years of hard work, he didn't get to enjoy his retirement with his grandkids.

 

“I'll be right back.” Teddy excused herself when she felt herself getting emotional. She didn't want to break down crying at the table with the kids seeing her.

 

“You alright?” Daryl asked with a frown, but he didn't get an answer, because Teddy was fleeing the room pretty quickly.

 

“She's thinking of her daddy.” Bernie placed her hand on top of Daryl's arm, keeping him from following his wife. “Let her be for a moment. Sometimes you just need to let it out.”

 

Daryl saw tears glistening in Bernadette's eyes as well. Mother and daughter must have been thinking the same thing.

 

He studied his mother-in-law for a moment and he noticed, that Teddy was right. Bernadette wasn't looking too hot. A far cry from almost 7 years ago, when he had first met her. She had always been this strong looking woman, who'd stood tall and proud, but now, she seemed much older and quite frail.

 

“Ya had your appointment with that heart doctor last week, right?” he asked her while he resumed eating.

 

“With the cardiologist, yes.”

 

“What did he say?”

 

“He wanted to put me in the hospital. Over Christmas, can you believe that?” Bernie laughed in an incredulous manner.

 

“Hospital? Because of your blood pressure? Does Teddy know?”

 

“I didn't tell her and she didn't ask. I'm fine, she doesn't need to know. It's not like she would worry anyway.” Bernie said dismissively with a wave of her hand.

 

“You know that's not true.” Daryl frowned. “Even if y'all ain't best friends, she still worries. And if the doc thinks you should be in a hospital, don't ya think he knows what he's talking about?”

 

“Daryl, sweetie, it's fine. I'm pretty sure it's just the new pain medication I'm taking for my hip that's driving my blood pressure up. I might have taken a few more than I should have of those, because the whole thing has been acting up lately.”

 

“I ain't no doctor, but even I know that high blood pressure is dangerous, Momma B. If the doctor thinks you belong in a hospital, you should go. I can take ya.” Daryl offered. He would never forgive her for the things she had said to Teddy after Gerald's death, but she was still a mother figure to him and he cared deeply for her. He didn't want anything to happen to her before her time.

 

“You're very sweet, Daryl, but don't worry, okay? I feel good. If anything changes I will go to the hospital, I promise you, but everything is alright.” she patted his arm, hoping he would leave well enough alone. She would not spend this holiday waiting in the ER.

 

“Fine, have it your way.” Daryl sighed. He knew her well enough to know that she was even more stubborn than him. He also knew in that moment that he might have to give in where that nanny issue was concerned. Maggie had told him earlier that Bernie was already overwhelmed with the twins these days, so having her babysit their two youngest children every day, would certainly not be an option.

 

Thinking about Maggie, Daryl looked across the table and saw her and Billy share a little kiss, before they looked into each others eyes with the biggest smiles. Daryl never said much about it, but he was just as happy as Teddy about the couple reuniting again. It had torn him up to see that family get ripped apart. In a way it was kind of inspiring to see those two overcome that monster of a rough patch and find their way back to one another. If those two were able to handle that situation, he was sure that him and Teddy would be able having another child. It was child's play compared to what Billy and Maggie had gone through.

 

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Merle chugging back another glass of wine. “Hey, take it easy man. The kids don't need ta know what you're like when you're drunk, Merle.” he felt for his brother, but protecting the little ones from the dick Merle turned into, when he had too much to drink, was his first priority.

 

“Mind your own damn business, little brother.”

 

On the inside Daryl rolled his eyes. He decided that it was probably better not to poke the bear. Quiet Merle was much better than talking Merle. Better not risk riling him up. He knew that it would break Little Turtle's heart to see her beloved uncle get all mean and nasty, even if it wouldn't be directed at her.

 

“Daddy, can I have more tater tots?” Kenzie's voice made him shift his focus from his brother to his daughter, who was already holding her plate up with her small hands.

 

“Yeah, sure.” Daryl smiled and spooned some more on her plate. “Ya want gravy, too?”

 

“No, I don't like them soggy.”

 

“Ya get that from your momma.” Daryl smiled. Whenever they had tater tots at their house, he practically bathed them in the sauce. They were just too dry for his taste.

 

He watched her eat with a smile on his face. From time to time he reached out and stroked his hand over the top of her head affectionately. He couldn't help it, she was his little princess and he simply wasn't able to see her as a brat. She had a temper and an attitude, but she would always be his little angel. He wasn't able to see her the way Teddy saw her. He would love for the new baby to be another girl, but at the same time he was scared that it would actually turn out that way, because he didn't want Teddy to keep her distance from the baby again.

 

“Daryl!”

 

Billy's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked across the table again, but frowned when he found Billy's seat empty.

 

“He went to the bathroom.” Maggie informed him with a comical expression on her face. “I don't think I want to know why he would need your help with that.”

 

“Awesome.” Daryl snorted half-amused. “Guess we're about to find out.”

 

He scooted his chair backwards and got up from the table.

 

“Daryl!” Billy called out for him again just when Daryl had rounded the corner, leading to the downstairs bathroom.

 

“Man, I'm coming. Keep your damn pants on.” Daryl said with a raised voice. He stopped by the bathroom door when he found it ajar, not wanting to look inside and see stuff he didn't want to see. “The hell is going on? You need toilet paper or something?”

 

The door got yanked open all the way and Daryl felt all air wooshing from his lungs when he did look inside. Billy was on the floor, crouched over an unconscious Teddy.

 

“Darlin'!” Daryl was on the floor next to his wife in a second, frantically checking her pulse.

 

“She's breathing,... I don't know what happened, I found her like this.” Billy's voice was shaking and his eyes were filled with tears. He was scared out of his mind.

 

“Teddy? Teddy, come on, darlin'. Ya gotta wake up.” Daryl was cradling her face in his hands and tried to shake her as gently as possible. “Come on. Come on, Teddy. Can you hear me?”

 

A gasp made both men whip their heads around towards the door and Daryl was horrified to see Kenzie standing there, staring at her unconscious mother with fearful eyes. “Mommy?”

 

“Get her out of here and call a fucking ambulance.” Daryl pushed Billy out the door and slammed it shut behind him. “Teddy! Don't do this now, please. Wake up, sweetheart. Shit, what the fuck happened?” Daryl felt absolutely helpless, just like back when she had tumbled down that hill and had dislocated her shoulder. He had hoped that he would never ever have to feel that way, but here he was.

 

It didn't take long for Bernadette to barge in after Billy had come back in with a crying Kenzie, dashing for the phone and calling 911.

 

“Oh my God, Teddy. Daryl, what happened?”

 

“I don't know. Billy found her like this. She ain't waking up.” Daryl was panting, his heart was beating out of his chest in fear. He looked up at her with a dismayed expression that broke her heart. “She's pregnant.”

 

Bernadette swallowed hard, but then she nodded resolutely. “Maybe it's just some kind of deficiency. With Kenzie she had anemia, right? And she's been running herself ragged, she must be exhausted.”

 

Daryl nodded, deciding that it sounded like the best and most logical explanation. Then everything happened incredibly fast. The ambulance only took a few minutes to arrive. Daryl went with her and Billy and Bernadette took his car to follow them. Maggie and Merle stayed behind to take care of the kids.

 

Kenzie was still crying. She had no idea what she had seen, but she felt like finding Mommy sleeping on the floor and Daddy being all worried wasn't a good thing. Merle had a hard time calming her down, because he had no clue what was going on. All he could do was hug her and tell her that her mother was going to be fine.

* * *

“Dixon?” after two hours of waiting, a doctor had finally called out their name. Daryl was relieved and about to nervously pee his pants at the same time.

 

“Yeah. What's going on?” Daryl stormed towards the doctor with Billy and Bernie not far behind.

 

“You're her husband?”

 

“Yeah, and that's her brother and mother. Is she okay?”

 

“We detected internal bleeding and rushed her to surgery.”

 

“Internal bleeding?” Daryl interrupted the doctor in confusion.

 

“Her fallopian tube ruptured. I'm sure the pain and the blood loss caused her to pass out. We had to open her up and remove her left tube and ovary.”

 

Daryl felt like a bag of rocks had been dropped into his stomach. He felt Bernadette's hand on his back, trying to offer support. Daryl swallowed hard. “Ya removed... but... the baby?”

 

“I'm sorry, Mr. Dixon.”

 

Billy put his hand over his mouth and turned his back on them as tears spilled down his cheeks. Bernadette reached out and squeezed Billy's arm, while she rubbed Daryl's back with the other. She had prepared herself for this in the past couple of hours.

 

Daryl just stared at the doctor for a moment, not quite comprehending what was happening. “We lost it?”

 

“It was an ectopic pregnancy. That's why the tube ruptured.”

 

“I don't understand. What's that mean?”

 

Bernie jumped in and gently explained what it meant. “The baby wasn't in her uterus, Daryl. It was in her ovary.”

 

“In the fallopian tube.” The doctor added. “The pregnancy would have been terminated by her gynecologist soon.”

 

“No, we wouldn't have done that.” Daryl shook his head, still not quite getting it.

 

“It wasn't a viable pregnancy, Sir. There was no way for that baby to make it. I'm sorry. You can go see your wife in the recovery room. She's still out of it, but I expect her to make a full recovery in the next couple of weeks.”

 

“Thank you.” Bernadette said and gently nudged Daryl. “Go see her. We'll wait.”

 

“Nah, go home.” Daryl mumbled. “Take care of the kids.”

 

“You shouldn't be alone, sweetie.”

 

“I won't be. Just leave us alone.” he mumbled, sounding defeated, and followed the doctor.

 

“What do we do?” Billy sighed under tears.

 

“I guess we give them their space. He's right, we need to take care of the little angels. We can't leave Maggie and Merle alone with them all day. Let's go home. I'm sure he'll call when they're ready.” Bernie looped her arm around Billy's and gently wiped at his tears with her other hand.

 

Billy was hesitant. He wanted to be with Teddy, too, but he knew that they should give the couple a moment or two to be by themselves.”Okay. Let's go then.”

* * *

“Do you remember what happened?” Daryl sat next to Teddy's hospital bed and tightly clutched her delicate hands between both of his.

 

“Yeah.” Teddy's voice was gravelly, because her mouth was dry and her throat was scratchy from the breathing tube. “I think so. The pain suddenly got really bad when I was in the bathroom. I wanted to call out for you or come get you, but then I felt something like a pop and then really, really bad pain and I remember that my knees gave out, but that's it.”

 

“Your tube ruptured.” Daryl explained and watched Teddy slowly put two and two together. He was glad, because he wasn't able to say it out loud.

 

“Ectopic pregnancy?” Teddy guessed quietly after a moment of thinking about it.

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Hm... the irony... that was part of my exam last week.” she laughed quietly, which caused her to wince a moment later. “Judging from how my abdomen hurts right now, they removed it?”

 

“Yeah.” Daryl nodded again.

 

“I'm sorry, baby.” she freed her hand from his grasp and gently cradled the side of his face.

 

“What happened with our baby, Teddy? I can't... It ain't making no sense to me.”

 

“I can imagine. It's hard to understand. I guess this baby wasn't supposed to be after all.” Teddy got a flashback from her little Christmas fantasy from last night. It made tears pool in her eyes and it made her voice waver. “It sucks.”

 

Daryl nodded and clasped her hand back in is. “It does.” he breathed deeply to keep his own tears from flowing. He felt weird crying over their loss, because they hadn't wanted the baby up until pretty much just a couple of days ago. Maybe this was their punishment for not having been grateful and happy about it.

 

“But it's bet-”

 

“Don't fucking say that. Don't say it's better this way. Just... All we did with this one was to see it as a fucking problem... a complication... Don't no baby deserve that... Saying it was better makes ya sound like you're fucking happy about what happened and I don't wanna hear that. Not now.” Daryl ranted, making her cry even more. She felt like crap from surgery, she was hurting in more ways than one, she was exhausted and now he was yelling at her. She couldn't take it.

 

“Please don't do this now, Daryl.” she pleaded with him. “I understand your anger, but please...”

 

Daryl took a deep breath and rubbed his face hard. “I'm sorry, darlin'. I still don't get it. I can't wrap my fucking mind around it.”

 

“I know. But there was nothing either one of us could have done. It wasn't viable from the start, do you get that? It's not your fault.”

 

He nodded, but Teddy wasn't sure that he meant it. He always blamed himself for everything. They fell silent, both lost in their own thoughts until Teddy was moved to a hospital room. She finally got some good drugs for the pain and was able to talk to the doctor. He told her that she would have to stay a couple of days.

 

“Ugh, I'm sorry, baby. I hate to leave you alone with the kids.” she immediately apologized to Daryl when they were alone again.

 

“Don't worry about it.” After today he'll gladly spend every minute of every day with them. He had been an ungrateful bastard before, but he sure as hell would never ever take his children for granted again.

 

“Do you blame me?” Teddy asked carefully, needing to know where he stood.

 

“Hell no... don't ever think that.” Daryl hid his face behind his hands again and when he looked back up, the tears were finally rolling down his cheeks. “It's just all so fucked up. All I can think about is, that we ain't got no problems no more now, and then I think about how screwed up that is, to think like that. Three's too fucking much for us, it's still true, but now there's this baby that we'll never know and it's just fucking weird, Teddy. I dunno how to fucking feel.” he cried and leaned forward to rest his forehead on the edge of her bed.

 

“I know, baby.” Teddy knew all too well how it felt, at least in a sense. “But we'll be alright.” she mumbled as she dragged her fingers through his unruly hair and let him cry. _Merry fucking Christmas,_ she thought as she looked out the window at the dark sky.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

 

**Yes, I'm aware that most of you will hate me now. Sorry.**

 


	62. Chapter 62

**Author's Note:**

 

**This is not the last chapter, but the story is winding down from now on. I decided to end this story once and for all. No more bonus chapters or sequels, so gear up to say goodbye to Teddy, Daryl and their family. There will be 2-3 more chapters after this one, 4 max.**

**This chapter is more of a filler chapter, showing where they are right now after their recent loss and kind of closing out this chain of events before we jump ahead into the future a bit for the end.**

**The last couple of chapters might be a bit more predictable than I'd like, but hey, as long as it turns into a satisfying finish it's justified, right?!**

**Thank you again to everyone who ever read this story and especially those who've been sticking around from the very beginning.**

* * *

Teddy was safely ensconced in her brother Billy's embrace. He'd taken his shoes off and had unceremoniously climbed up on her hospital bed, where he had gathered her in his strong arms. He rested his head against hers and cried quietly with her. He didn't have to imagine what she must feel like, because he felt it inside himself. Even though they had drifted apart a bit over the years, their twin bond had always been strong. He felt her pain like it was his own.

 

Bernadette sat in the chair next to the bed, holding and gently stroking Teddy's hand. It warmed her heart to see her babies close again. In that moment they weren't 36 years old, it was like they were little again and Billy was consoling his sister after a nightmare. Only that this nightmare was very real. A melancholic smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she watched Billy nuzzle Teddy's temple, before he pressed a sweet kiss to it. Then he snuggled his cheek back against the top of her head.

 

“We never told you kids...” Bernie started to say, getting the attention of her children. “... but when you were still very little, I had a miscarriage.”

 

“Oh Mom...” Teddy sniffed, her heart breaking a bit more for her mother. “Really? When was that?”

 

“It was right around your third birthday. I was 11 weeks along when I started bleeding and got cramps and felt like I had to push. It was a shock, because everything had been perfectly fine until then. It was completely out of the blue.”

 

“I'm sorry.” Teddy cried. “That's horrible.”

 

“It was.” Bernie nodded with a sad smile. “Your father and I were devastated. I had a very hard time with it the first couple of weeks. I felt like I had let your father down. Like my body had let him down for rejecting his baby...”

 

Teddy averted her gaze and swallowed hard. “Right...”

 

“You have to know, that it is absolutely not your fault, Teddy.” Bernie told her emphatically as she squeezed her daughter's hand.

 

“I didn't really want this baby, Mom... I was still on the fence...”

 

“And who could blame you, Teddy? Giving birth to Jess took a toll on you, it's still fresh on your mind and then all the work you're putting in to get your career restarted. It was incredibly unlucky timing. Everybody would have been on the fence, had they been in your shoes.”

 

“Daryl came around. He was starting to get excited.”

 

“Well, honey, Daryl doesn't have to be pregnant, so it's not surprising that he warmed up to the idea a little faster.”

 

“I feel like a damn hypocrite for being so sad now.”

 

“I get it, but you are not a hypocrite. You are only human, Teddy. It was a very difficult situation. But your thoughts on this pregnancy did in no way cause this outcome. The embryo settled in your tube long before you even found out you were pregnant. There was nothing anyone could have done. This baby was never going to grow and live. Your doctor would have aborted it at your first check-up, because no baby in this world can grow in a fallopian tube. Obviously.”

 

“I know all that, Mom.”

 

“I know you do, but do you get it? It's not on you, sweetheart.”

 

“How did you get through it? The miscarriage?” Billy asked quietly as he tightened his grip on his sister even more.

 

“You two.” Bernie smiled. “That's what you and Daryl have to focus on, Teddy. On the two beautiful, happy and healthy children you already have. It will be difficult, because they will remind you of what you lost, but they will also help you heal a great deal. Trust me on that.”

 

“Daryl says he's not mad at me, but I can't help feel that he is. When I woke up earlier, I told him that it was better this way and I think he took it the really wrong way. Like I'm happy about it. I'm not happy, not at all,... but I can't help being glad that life is not going to get harder, you know?”

 

“You're entitled to feel that way. Just like Daryl is entitled to feel the way he feels. You will have to work together and you will both have to accept and respect each others feelings, no matter how different they may be. Things like this can make or break a marriage. Yours and Daryl's is very strong, but don't take that for granted. Don't let this drive you two apart. Work on understanding each other, even if it hurts, and you'll be fine.”

 

“It doesn't feel that way right now.” Teddy sighed shakily and snuggled deeper into the comfort of Billy's embrace.

 

“You will be.” Bernie smiled optimistically. “I promise.”

* * *

**3 months later**

 

Standing in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on their dinner, a smile broke out on Daryl's face when his ears picked up on the lovely sound of Teddy's giggle. He stepped around the corner, towards the staircase that led downstairs, just in time to watch 8 month old Jess quickly crawl towards the stair-guard, gargling happily when he saw his mother coming up the stairs.

 

Daryl went over to his son and quickly picked him up, so that Teddy would be able to open the stair-guard. Jess' happiness was contagious and Daryl was grinning from ear to ear as he bounced him in his arms. “Yaaaay, Momma's done with work.” Daryl cheered with a smile and watched his wife close the protective gate again. He leaned down and kissed her lovingly, before he pulled away again, with a big smile gracing his lips. “Hey Doc.” he winked.

 

“Hey Mechanic.” Teddy giggled as they called each other by their “beloved” nick names from the past. “And hello to you, most beautiful baby boy on the planet.” she kissed his chubby cheeks until he squealed and started moving his arms up and down excitedly. Daryl handed him over to Teddy and stood back and watched them smilingly. His heart felt like it was blooming like a flower in the sunshine. They were his everything and hearing and seeing his happy son like this, was balm for his still sore soul. “Where's my baby girl?” Teddy asked. Even though Kenzie rarely greeted her, she was used to hearing the little girl. It was unusually quiet today.

 

“Pouting in her room. She wanted to watch a movie before dinner and I said no.”

 

“Oooh, you put your foot down?” Teddy grinned. “Good for you, baby.”

 

“Yeah... Really was a wake-up call that we ain't even been able to get one single kid to play with her in the afternoon... Well, she's a Dixon... don't no parents want her around their kids.” Daryl said it with humor, but deep down it hurt.

 

“But not for the reasons parents didn't want you around their kids when you were little.” Teddy smiled gently. “It wasn't your fault.”

 

“But this is. It's on both of us.”

 

“That it is, sadly. But she's still very young, we can still make it right. And we will.” she said encouragingly, hating to see him get upset the more he thought about it.

 

“Yeah... So, how was your first day?” Daryl changed the topic and perked back up. His beautiful smile came back to him when he saw Teddy's eyes light up even more.

 

“It was awesome. I was really nervous the first hour or so, but after that it was like I'd never walked away. I missed it more than I realized. I think it might have been the reason why I've been kinda restless the past couple of years, because this is my dream job and I wasn't doing it, you know? Does that make sense?”

 

“Yeah, it does. Ya liked doing the classes and that yoga stuff, but it never really... I dunno... fulfilled ya or something like that?”

 

“Exactly.” Teddy nodded with a smile. “Maybe, just maybe, this family can find some peace now. Right, my sweet little angel? Aw, that's right, you don't have any worries. You're the happiest little schmoopie in the world. Always laughing your cute little butt off.” Teddy giggled again, when she tickled Jess and he started squirming and laughing again.

 

“Let's hope it stays that way for a long time.” Daryl chuckled and put his arm around Teddy's slim shoulders. He led her back to the great room, past the kitchen and towards the dining table, which had already been set. 

 

“Turtle, dinner!” Teddy called out and strapped Jess into his highchair. 

 

The little girl marched into the room, scowling darkly, pouting and with her arms crossed over her chest. She only uncrossed them briefly to climb up on her chair, then she resumed her defensive pose.

 

“Well, hello to you, too, Sunshine.” Teddy greeted her with a chipper smile. 

 

Daryl let out an amused scoff. “If that's s'pposed to be sunshine, I don't wanna know what the night looks like.” he teased his daughter a little, but on his way past her chair, he ruffled her hair and kissed the top of her head. 

 

They sat down to eat and Teddy barely got to put food in her mouth, because she couldn't stop talking about her first day back as being a doctor and because she was feeding Jess his pureed broccoli at the same time. Daryl just sat there, smirking while eating, and then, when she opened her mouth wide, mimicking their son, he shoved a forkful of pasta into her mouth.

 

Teddy almost gagged and choked, but she was laughing. “I was talking! You're unbelievable.”

 

“You gotta eat, sweetheart.” Daryl shrugged with that adorable cheeky little smile, that always had Teddy's stomach full of butterflies, even after 7 years together.

 

“That felt more like 'You gotta shut up'.”

 

“Nah, never.” Daryl smiled. “It's good to see ya excited.”

 

“Good.” Teddy chuckled. “That saved you from getting cake.”

 

“Thank God for small favors.”

* * *

They had soon finished their dinner and got their kids ready for bed. Billy let himself in while they tucked in Kenzie. He had come over three nights a week for the past three months, playing baby-sitter for an hour or two, so Daryl and Teddy had some time just to themselves without having to keep their ears perked in case their kids needed them. During that time they were able to focus fully on each other without any distractions, enabling them to communicate and “check in” with each other frequently. This had helped them tremendously in working through their recent loss.

 

“Let me just throw on some jeans, then we can go.” Teddy smiled and kissed her brother's cheek in passing. 

 

“Thanks again, man.” Daryl said to Billy as he got the picnic blanket out of the hall closet. 

 

“No need, no need.” Billy smiled and clapped his hand down on Daryl's shoulder. “I'm glad I'm able to help you guys out... Oh hey, how was her first day?”

 

“She loved it. I'm sure she's gon' tell ya all about it once she's got a minute to spare.”

 

“That's good.” Billy smiled.

 

“I'm ready.” Teddy came back out of the bedroom after trading her skirt in for a pair of jeans.

 

“Let's go then.”

 

Billy got himself a 7Up from the fridge and plopped down on the couch. “Alright, see y'all later.”

 

Daryl took Teddy's hand in his, tucked the blanket under his arm, and led her outside. Their walk to the lake was almost always done in silence, both of them using it to decompress from the long day.

 

Before long, they reached their destination: the tiny, pink cherry blossom tree they had planted close to the lake shortly after Teddy had been released from the hospital. They wouldn't get to see their third child grow and blossom, but instead, this tree would grow and blossom along with Kenzie and Jess, in memory of the little one they would never meet. Both of them agreed that it would have been a girl, so the Japanese tree with the pretty, pink blossoms had been a no-brainer.

 

They spread out their blanket in front of it and sat down. 

 

“How was your day, baby?” Teddy asked.

 

“Was alright. Better now.” he sent her a cute little smirk.

 

“Are you flirting with me, Mr. Dixon?” she giggled happily, loving to see this side of him.

 

“What if I am?”

 

“Then you might just get lucky tonight.”

 

He laughed and wrapped his hand around the side of her neck to pull her in, so that he could press a long kiss to her temple. “Every day you stay married to me I get lucky, darlin'.”

 

“Awwww, and now you wandered off into cheesy territory.” Teddy teased him lightheartedly, squealing briefly when he poked her ribs. 

 

“Thought it was redneck romance? Wasn't that what ya called it?”

 

“That's different. I can't explain it, but it's different. This just now was straight out of a rom-com movie.” Teddy giggled and squirmed when he pinched her with a mock-glare on his face.

 

“Ain't a sap.”

 

“But you are. A little. But in a good way.”

 

“Guess I gotta take your word for it, huh?”

 

“Yep. I love you. All of you, even if you get cheesy.”

 

“Love ya, too... So today was good? For real? I was thinking this morning, with all the pregnant women around you now... seein' the babies on the ultrasound...”

 

“I'm fine. I really am, I promise.”

 

Daryl kissed her softly before his gaze shifted to the tree in front of them. “Can't believe it's been three months today.”

 

“To me it feels like it was years ago, instead of months.”

 

“Maybe that means that ya really put it behind you.” Daryl thought out loud.

 

“I think I have. I'm still sad over never being able to see her and hold her, though, but it's not this devastating feeling anymore.”

 

“More like melancholy...” Daryl murmured, making Teddy look at him in surprise.

 

“You feel like that, too?”

 

“Yeah. I still think about her a couple of times a day, but it ain't makin' me wanna cry and scream no more. I think about holdin' her and I feel like 'Oh well... ain't happening.', you know?” he tried to explain how he had started feeling in the past couple of days. 

 

“You've started accepting it.” Teddy smiled softly and gently pushed some hair out of his eyes.

 

“Guess so. Also know that you were right... The circumstances just weren't right for us. Still aren't. So in a way, it was better that it never happened. Although I still feel like shit sayin' it.”

 

“I know. I have that, too. I think about it and then I get this little stab, like my conscience is pinching me... but it's just a fact that we aren't ready for more. I think the fact that we aren't all over trying for another one proves that we are done.”

 

“Mhm.” Daryl agreed with a quiet grunt.

 

“But overall, you're feeling better?”

 

“Yeah, I do.”

 

“That's great. I thought you were doing better this week. You seem more carefree again.”

 

“The kids helped. Turtle's being a damn pain in the ass right now, but when she comes cuddling up to me, huggin' my leg and tellin' me that she's done bein' bad now, that always makes up for it. And being with Jess all afternoon is just fucking awesome.” Daryl smiled enthusiastically. “How the hell did we make such a happy kid? He's smiling all the damn time. Happiest kid in the world, that's what it feels like.”

 

“He's amazing.”

 

“He's startin' to look a lot like your dad.”

 

“He does, doesn't he?” Teddy grinned. “I've noticed that, too. My dad was pretty good-looking, especially when he was younger.”

 

“Hm, might have to fight the little ladies off with a stick, huh?” Daryl grinned proudly.

 

“Yeah. Or other boys... who knows.”

 

“Yeah, and who cares? As long as he stays this happy.”

 

Teddy nodded and rewarded him with a big kiss. She loved how non-judgmental he was. She'd had a similar talk with Billy a while ago about his sons. Billy was quite tolerant as well and he would support his sons no matter what, but he had admitted, that the thought of them being gay made him bristle just a little bit. Daryl didn't have that. He really didn't care as long as his kids were happy and healthy.

 

“Hey,” Teddy grinned when she broke the kiss, “have you ever tried imagining what it will be like, when Kenzie's about 20 years old and might have her first long-term guy?”

 

“Hell no!” Daryl scoffed with a laugh. “Ain't gonna happen.”

 

“Oh come on, you know it will.” Teddy laughed.

 

“Yeah, I know... And I fucking feel for the poor guy already.” he chuckled.

 

“Right? She's gonna be one hell of a bossy girlfriend.”

 

“That fella's gon' need elephant skin.” Daryl agreed.

 

“Or maybe she finds a guy who really reigns her in one day.”

 

“Possible. Still ain't looking forward to it though.”

 

“Understandable.” Teddy nodded. “Fortunately it will be many more years until then.”

 

They fell silent for a while, until a little breeze had Daryl catch a whiff of Teddy's scent. He groaned quietly and lifted her into his arms. He put her down to sit in front of him, between his legs, and lowered his face to her neck. 

 

“Why you always gotta smell so fucking good?” he breathed against her fragrant skin, before he let her feel his hot, velvety tongue and then the sharp prick of his blunt teeth digging into her flesh. 

 

“So you'll do this.” Teddy gasped as her eyes fell shut.

 

Daryl kissed his way up to her jaw, where he let his teeth scrape along her soft skin. “Want more, darlin'?” his low, raspy voice sent shivers down her spine. Daryl smirked when he actually felt her tremble a little. He peeked down at her front, immediately noticing her hardened nipples poking through her bra and her silky blouse. “Yeah, you do.” he replied for her.

 

Teddy reached into his hair and pulled his mouth to a different spot. “Kiss my neck again.” she breathed and Daryl obliged. His skilled fingers deftly unbuttoned a few buttons of her blouse, just enough for him to be able to reach inside.

 

“Uunnngghh” he groaned against the base of her neck as the weight of her bra-clad breasts filled his palms. Don't get him wrong, he had always loved her tits, but as a breast-man, and now that they were a lot bigger after two more babies, he was just in heaven with them being rounder and heavier.

 

“Oh damn...” Teddy breathed. Daryl's thumbs were softly gliding over her covered nipples, making them pucker even more. His lips were still attached to the sweet spot on her neck, nibbling, licking and sucking, having her insides clench pleasurably as she felt herself getting hot and wet. “Keep going, that's really good.” 

 

Teddy's breathy voice pulled all the right strings inside of him. He groaned again when he looked over her shoulder and saw that she had already popped the button on her jeans. She slid the zipper down and slipped her right hand inside her panties. “Mmmm,... so sexy, darlin'.”

 

“Open your pants. Pull it out.” she demanded under her breath. Her fingers were rubbing up and down her pussy lips, gathering moisture before she started circling her clit. 

 

Daryl briefly withdrew his hands from her breasts and did as he was told. In less than a minute his throbbing cock was exposed to the warm, but breezy night air.

 

With her free hand, Teddy pulled one of his back to her breasts, silently telling him to keep caressing her rosy peaks through her bra. Daryl got the hint and made his wife moan by gently twiddling her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

 

“Shit, that's so good. Don't stop, baby.” The fingers of her right hand were moving in a steady rhythm now and Daryl was mesmerized by the sight of the fabric of her jeans moving where her hand was working her heated core. 

 

“You wet for me, darlin'?” Daryl's voice went even lower and Teddy's walls contracted in response. 

 

“You have no idea.”

 

“Show me. Show me your fingers, baby girl.”

 

Teddy obeyed and pulled her hand out of her jeans and held them up for him to see. 

 

Daryl's pupils dilated visibly when he took in how much of her arousal was coating her fingers. With a little growl he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand closer to his mouth, then he sucked the two slender, wet digits into his mouth, relishing in her unique taste. “The fucking best...” he groaned low in his throat after he had released her fingers from between his lips. “Keep goin', sweetheart.”

 

Teddy didn't have to be told twice. Her right hand quickly slipped back inside her underwear, while her left hand reached behind her, in order to wrap itself around his beautiful, rock hard dick. 

 

It wasn't easy to get her hands to work in two different rhythms, but after some fumbling around, she got it and soon had her husband panting and moaning against her neck. His hands kept squeezing and massaging her breasts through her bra, while his fingers manipulated her nipples expertly. Teddy had the perfect thing going. Her fingers slid over her clit in long strokes, the pleasure intensified by him playing with her breasts and sucking on her neck. Daryl kept his eyes peeled to her crotch, the sight of her hand moving inside her jeans was a major turn-on. Heat started to spread through his own loins and he immediately felt the hand job he was receiving getting more slippery as he started to leak pre-cum.

 

“I'm cumming.” he heard Teddy moan as he felt the beginning of her body locking up.

 

“Show, don't tell.” he smirked against her neck and pinched her stiff nipples a little harder for good measure.

 

“Kiss me.” Teddy gasped and tilted her head back against his shoulder, just before his lips slammed down on hers and his tongue invaded her mouth.

 

She came hard, breaking the kiss as loud moans were forced from her lips. Daryl grinned happily and bit down on her bottom lip as her quivering body sagged back against his. He kissed her deeply as he gave her a moment to recover, but as soon as her body had stopped shaking, he started pushing at her pants. 

 

“Take 'em off.” he growled.

 

On weak legs, Teddy got up and took off her jeans and soaked panties. Daryl quickly folded up the jeans and put them down on the blanket. Then he laid down and rested his head on them. “Come here.” he tugged on Teddy's hand, pulling her down on her knees. Once she was kneeling, he maneuvered her to straddle his face with her back facing him.

 

“Oh God!” Teddy whimpered when his tongue touched her over-sensitized clit. He made her body jump and jerk by softly licking her little nub, chuckling to himself at her reaction, but soon he left the sensitive spot alone and licked down to her opening, where he pushed his tongue inside as far as possible. Teddy shivered and carefully ground herself against his lips and tongue. She slowly leaned forward and wrapped her hand around his cock again, guiding it to her lips. 

 

Daryl moaned against her pussy when he felt Teddy engulf his aching tip in her sweet, hot mouth. Having her taste on his tongue while she sucked him off was one of Daryl's favorite things ever, so he kept lapping at her and tongue-fucking her while Teddy let her mouth slide up and down his shaft, sucking and teasing him in the way he liked best. 

 

He enjoyed it to the fullest and forced himself to hold out a bit longer while he tasted her and caressed her silky skin everywhere he was able to reach. 

 

“Like that... shit, like that, darlin'... don't stop now.” he panted as he felt himself unable to keep himself from reaching his orgasm any longer. “Oh fuuuuuck... now, baby, now... ohh uuuunnffff...” his last moan was stifled as he bit into Teddy's round butt cheek, making her squeal around his cock as he filled her mouth with his essence. 

 

Now it was her turn to make him jump as she lapped at him with soft little strokes of her tongue. While she cleaned him up, Daryl placed big kisses all over her butt until she climbed off of him and let him pull her into his arms. He cradled the side of her face in his big palm and kissed her deeply and passionately as their hands continued to roam cooling skin gently and lovingly. 

 

“Love you.” Teddy smiled against his lips after they had spent some time cuddling and making out.

 

“Love you, too.” Daryl smiled right back, then it was time for them to get dressed again and slowly head back to the house. 

 

Daryl kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders on their way back, keeping her close and exchanging little kisses. He wasn't exactly surprised by how much in love with her he still was after 7 years, he had always known that he would love her forever, but he was a little surprised that it was still as exciting as when they had first started seeing each other. Not every moment of every day, of course, but there were still these moments, where he felt like it was still new and fresh. Especially lately, when they had decided to be a little selfish and take Billy up on his offer to watch the kids a couple of times at night, so they would truly only be there for one another for a little bit.

 

When they got back to the house, both of them were grinning like fools. Not only because they were still basking in their post-coital glow, but because of the sight that greeted them on the couch. Billy was on the couch, fast asleep, with Little Turtle sprawled out smack on top of him. He had wrapped his arms around her tightly and her little face was snuggled in the crook of his neck, while Billy had his mouth and nose buried in Kenzie's dark head of hair. 

 

“Oh God, they are so cute.” Teddy whispered touched, her heart overflowing with love. She quickly pulled out her phone and took a picture, then she crouched down next to Billy and kissed his cheek, while Daryl started to lock the doors and windows. “Billy, wake up.” she whispered and crawled her fingers through his thick hair to gently wake him up. 

 

“Oh hey,... sorry...” Billy yawned, but Teddy shook her head.

 

“No, it's fine. Can you carry her back to her room? I'm afraid she'll wake up if we jostle her around too much.”

 

“Sure, no problem.” Billy took a moment to wake up, then he carefully got up from the couch with his niece in his arms. He kissed the top of her head several times as he brought her back to her room, where he gently put her back in her bed and tucked her in.

 

“Thank you.” Teddy smiled after they had left her daughter's room again.

 

“Did you have a good time?”

 

“We always do.” Teddy smiled happily. She hugged her twin brother and thanked him again, before he left and she and Daryl got ready for bed. 

 

They checked on Jess one last time, then they laid down, where Daryl wrapped himself around her from behind. 

 

Teddy was tired, but she wasn't able to fall asleep just yet. She felt a lot lighter knowing that Daryl was feeling better now, too. Their loss had been difficult, but together they had managed. She was proud that things like that never succeeded to make them drift apart, but instead, made them grow stronger as a couple. It always got a little rough and tough in between, especially with Daryl's angry outbursts in such situations, but in the end, they were always able to overcome those things and move on. 

 

Of course Teddy didn't know it for sure at that point, but she felt like things might finally calm down for a while.

* * *

** Thank you for reading! **

 

** I hope this bit of happiness at the end made up a little for the darkness of the past couple of chapters:) **

 


	63. Chapter 63

**3 YEARS LATER**

 

“Mama!”

 

“Yes, baby.”

 

“Mama!”

 

“Yes, my love.”

 

“Mama!”

 

“Yes, Jess, I can hear you.”

 

“Mama!”

 

“What is it, honey? I'm sitting right here.”

 

“Mama!”

 

“Good God.” Teddy grumbled in exasperation, but with a smile on her face, because her little boy was giggling in mischief. She reached over and tickled his belly, making him laugh out loud. “You cheeky monkey, you know exactly what you're doing!” she smirked.

 

“Dess is teeky munky.” the 3-year old boy repeated giggling.

 

“Oh yeah, just like your Daddy.” Teddy smiled at her husband, who smirked around a mouthful of eggs.

 

“I don't want eggs. I want waffles.” 8-year old Kenzie pushed her eggs around on her plate with her fork.

 

“Tough.” Daryl replied, once he had swallowed down his food. “Ya wanted eggs when ya woke up. Now yer eating 'em.”

 

“But Jess doesn't have to eat eggs. If he doesn't have to, then I don't want them, either.”

 

“Yer brother don't like eggs, yet. He's too thin and needs ta eat, otherwise he'd have to have 'em, too.” Daryl explained for the umpteenth time. Unfortunately Jess seemed to have one of the worst immune systems a kid could have and caught freaking everything that went around, which had started to affect his weight a little. Therefore Teddy and Daryl weren't too strict about eating with him right now. It was more important for him to gain back some pounds.

 

“Not fair.” Kenzie sighed, but finally started eating.

 

“Not fair!” Jess repeated what Kenzie had said, even though he had no idea what it meant.

 

“You want eggs, then?” Daryl asked him and watched his son freeze. Jess' happy expression turned scared, as usual when he didn't understand something.

 

“No!” Jess shook his head, the corners of his mouth already going down as he started to cry. “Nooooooooo. No eggs. No want.”

 

“Sshhhhh no, champ. It's alright. Calm down. No eggs for you. No eggs for Jess, okay? No eggs.” Daryl sighed internally, wishing communicating and understanding spoken words would be easier for Jess, but once again, that was something where the little boy was the exact opposite of his sister. Whereas Kenzie had been very advanced for her age where speech and development had been concerned, Jess was about 6 months behind other kids his age. That's why they still didn't send him to pre-school at almost 4 years old, because Teddy knew it would be too overwhelming for him. Instead, they brought him to a daycare that had a small group especially for kids with developmental problems.

 

Thankfully Jess was still the happiest kid on the planet and wasn't totally aware of his problems yet. He was like a little clone of his father. A sweet and gentle soul, very polite and respectful, but when something confused him, his tantrums rivaled that of his big sister. Only that his were born out of insecurity and not knowing what to do or what was expected of him, instead of just being spoiled and bratty.

 

As one of Jess' therapists had put it a couple of months ago, Jess only knew two speeds: 0 and 100, meaning, he was either the calmest angel in the universe or the most angry and hysteric mess ever. (Fortunately he was an angel 95% of the time.) That statement had stuck with Teddy and always would, because it basically described, not only Jess, but also Daryl in a nutshell. Jess was Daryl jr., while Kenzie was Merle jr.

 

Daryl often sat back and watched them interact and felt himself taken back to his own childhood. They were so much like him and Merle, back when they would have a couple of good days, when their old man had been on a bender with his flavor of the month.

 

“Don't forget that we switched up his therapy days.” Teddy's voice pulled Daryl out of his thoughts.

 

“Right.” Daryl nodded as he watched her hug their son to her chest to help him calm down. “Early intervention is today instead of tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah. Mrs. Pasdar is coming at 3 pm. Speech therapy is Friday morning at 8 am before daycare. I already called them and asked if it would be okay for him to be there an hour later than usual.”

 

“Alright. Gotta remember to tell your brother that Imma be late on Friday.”

 

“I can text him right now, if you want?”

 

“Nah, I'll talk to him later. I won't forget.”

 

“Okay... and baby? Please go see my mom? I know it's tough, but she misses you.” Teddy sent him a look that was a mix between a plea and sympathy.

 

Daryl froze and swallowed hard as he averted his gaze. A little over a year ago, his mother-in-law, Bernadette, had been diagnosed with leukemia. After a bone marrow transplant from Billy, plus a successful chemo therapy, the Robertson matriarch had been in remission, unfortunately only briefly. Six months later, the cancer had been back, more aggressive than before, with new tumors now in her lungs and liver. Upon hearing that her survival chances were pretty slim, even with another round of chemo, Bernadette had refused further treatment. She was ready to join her husband, and therefore, they had arranged for her to be at home with a 24/7-nurse and her faithful Rosario by her side. It was all about making her comfortable until the end now.

 

Needless to say, the whole ordeal had taken a toll on her, especially on her body. She had lost her hair and a ton of weight. She was skin and bones now, her skin old, ashen and wrinkly, her wig blonde and looking completely out of place. Despite her shortcomings, Daryl loved her. She was like a mother to him and seeing her suffer and slowly dying, was something he had a lot of trouble with. He knew it wasn't right, but he had avoided seeing her for a couple of weeks. He didn't want the kids to see her like this, but Teddy had insisted that nothing should change for their children. If they wanted to see their Grandma Bernie, Teddy took them to see her. As long as Bernie was still lucid and in relatively good spirits, Teddy saw no harm in having the children around her mother.

 

It was definitely something where they disagreed. Due to her medical background, Teddy had a different approach to death than Daryl. She was more accepting of it and didn't want to teach their children that it was that big horrible thing that they had to be afraid of from an early age on. Jess didn't understand what was happening anyway and Kenzie already knew about people and animals dying and going to heaven. Two years ago their beloved pet Snoopy had passed away in his sleep from old age, ironically exactly like Maggie's dad Hershel, who'd died less than a year ago. She knew about Milo and had already experienced their dog Roxie dying. Teddy didn't know what the big deal was. Daryl was probably just projecting his own problems with his mother-in-law dying onto his children.

 

“Don't do this to the both of you, Daryl.” she tried again when he had kept his silence. “You will regret it for the rest of your life, if you miss your chance to say goodbye to her.”

 

“It's just... dunno... seein' her like that... she was always this big, proud, strong woman ta me, you know? Like an amazon, kinda... 's jus' hard.” Daryl tried to explain with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

 

“It's okay. You don't have to be strong for her. It's okay to let her see that it affects you, baby. You're an honest guy, so just tell her how you feel. She'll be fine with it. Death seems to be making her quite understanding.”

 

“Ain't funny.”

 

“All I'm saying is, go and see her at least one last time. Explain that you can't come over anymore, say your goodbyes, get some closure and give her some, too. One last time, honey. Please. You don't have to go alone. We'll come with.”

 

Daryl chewed on his bottom lip and thought about the whole thing for a minute. Then he finally nodded his head yes. “But ain't gonna do it today. Gotta get our shit from the dry cleaners after Jess' therapy hour.”

 

“I still can't believe that your brother is actually getting married.” Teddy giggled with excitement and disbelief alike.

 

“He ain't gone through with it yet.” Daryl warned with a smirk.

 

“Oh come on, he is so in love with Carol, he's not gonna bail.”

 

“Nah, he won't. But it's gon' be fun seein' him shit his pants for once. He's a nervous fuck about it already.” Daryl chuckled. He was enjoying his brother's wedding jitters immensely.

 

“Are you getting my dress, too, Daddy?” Kenzie smiled excitedly. She was going to be their flower girl and she was practicing twice a day, much to Teddy's dismay, because her flowers out in the garden had suffered quite a bit from it. 

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

“Then I can wear it for practice today!” she clapped her hands happily, but her good mood quickly got a damper.

 

“Oh no, you don't.” Teddy told her right away. “You had it on for five minutes last time and we had to take it to the dry cleaners the next day. We'll be lucky if it stays clean on the drive from here over to the farm on Saturday.”

 

“I better put it in your closet, huh?” Daryl smirked at Teddy.

 

“Yep, top shelf would probably be best. There's no way she's getting up there. Not without anyone noticing.”

 

“You're mean.” Kenzie pouted.

 

“I'm sorry, Turtle, but just like your father, you seem to have a big affinity to getting dirty.”

 

“What does that mean?” Kenzie frowned in confusion.

 

“It means that you somehow manage to get your clothes stained within seconds.” Teddy smiled. “I'm sorry, baby. I know you wanna wear that dress badly, but it's better if we keep it in the closet until Saturday morning, okay?”

 

“Okay.” Kenzie agreed, albeit a bit disappointed.

 

“Good girl.” Teddy reached over and stroked her hand over Kenzie's dark, shiny hair, before she pulled her head towards her to give her a kiss. “Okay, guys, I gotta go downstairs. I love you all and I'll see you tonight.” She got up and went around the table, giving her family a dozen kisses. “Come see me when Jess is down for his nap later, yeah?” she whispered into Daryl's ear, before she pressed a sweet kiss against it.

 

“Alright. Love ya.” Daryl rubbed his hand over her butt affectionately, before she excused herself and went downstairs. “Eat up, kids. We gotta get a move on, too.”

* * *

“Shit, man... the hell did ya do?” Daryl's smirk turned into a deep frown when he noticed the state Merle's white dress shirt was in. His older brother was sweating bullets. “Looks like ya went for a swim.”

 

“Shut yer damn mouth. Like you weren't nervous when you got hitched.” Merle snarled defensively.

 

“Ain't got no reason to be.”

 

“Pffff, right... You know me... Ain't no way I won't fuck this up.” the older Dixon brother sighed.

 

“It's gon' be alright. Being married ain't really different from just being together, man. There ain't gon' be no big shift or nothing. Only thing that changes is that she'll be a Dixon and that y'all are gonna have a piece of paper in your desk drawer confirming that. Was the same for me and Teddy. The relationship was still the same. The one thing that changed things up big time was having the kids. Suddenly ya got a shitload of stuff to agree and disagree over. But that's not gonna be the case for you. She's already got a daughter, 20 years old and all grown and living far away. Nothin' for you to worry about, so just relax.” Daryl tried in his own way to soothe his brother's nerves. 

 

“You're making it sound like it's a walk in the park.”

 

“It kinda is. Shit with Teddy was never hard. Not where her and me were concerned. Shit just fell into place. Still does,... most of the time. We got our rough patches, but we don't mind putting in some work, ya know? And I'm pretty sure that Carol won't let ya slack off, neither.” Daryl smirked. Carol had turned out to be an incredibly strong woman, who had his older brother eating right out of the palm of her hand. She knew how to handle him, even when he was being a jackass.

 

“You can bet your scrawny ass on that. She keeps me busy.” Merle snickered. He tugged on his tie and sighed again. “This thing's a fucking noose, though.”

 

“Ain't gotta wear it much longer. Now come on. You're s'pposed to be out there before the bride arrives.” Daryl smirked and tossed Merle his suit jacket.

 

“Alright. Here goes nothing.” Merle put on the jacket with a determined (and quite tense) expression on his face. Then, Daryl put his hand on Merle's upper back and led him outside with a strong push.

* * *

Daryl stood next to his brother and watched him exchange rings and vows with Carol. So far, the wedding had gone off smoothly. There had been only one minor hitch, when ring bearer Jess had refused to bring the rings up to the couple and the reverend, because he'd been shy in front of all those people. With some coaxing from Daryl, and with his momma leading him to his daddy, the rings finally ended up in the right place and they were able to keep going.

 

Of course nobody had gotten mad. Children were unpredictable in these situations and everybody who knew him absolutely adored Jess. Daryl was super proud every single time a mother from daycare raved about his son and told him how she wished she had such a sweet and happy boy at home.

 

He looked over to the chairs where his family was sitting and watching. Teddy was smiling brightly, which in that moment, made Daryl's heart skip a beat. He remembered their own wedding and how quick and “official” it had been. He hadn't wanted a real wedding, because he had been too self-conscious about having to speak up in front of everybody, about his love for Teddy, no less. Teddy had wanted him to be comfortable, so she had agreed, even though Daryl had been able to tell that she would have liked to have a different kind of wedding. To this day he was sad about not having seen her in a real wedding dress. She had refused to wear one for the courthouse wedding.

 

He had no idea why he had been so weird about the whole thing. He'd had to speak up at the courthouse, too. It had been mildly uncomfortable, but in the end it hadn't been all that bad. Didn't Teddy deserve a real wedding, outside, where the sun would shine down on them, having flowers and music and a photographer and all that shit around to make the day special and more romantic? Why hadn't he given that to her?

 

He jumped slightly, when the loud noises of cheering people pulled him out of his thoughts. A slow grin broke out on his face when he watched his brother kiss his newly wedded wife. Merle Dixon was married. Hell must have frozen over, Daryl thought with an internal chuckle.

* * *

Teddy groaned when she woke up the next morning. Her legs were stiff and crampy, and her back hurt like hell. She tried to move, but the weight on top of her kept her from doing so. She blinked her eyes open and tried to at least squirm a little, to get some relieve for her aching muscles. She looked down and saw Daryl's tanned arm slung around her middle. She was on her side and partially laying on her stomach, and Daryl was pressed half on top of her against her back. She looked further down, past his arm, and saw Jess curled up between/on top of her legs like a cat.

 

He was going through a phase of having bad dreams and/or missing his parents at night, so he often came running over in the middle of the night, cuddling up to them without a word or making a fuss, and went back to sleep. Teddy and Daryl both loved it, but it did leave them with several aches in the mornings. Especially Teddy, because she seemed to be “the anchor” for both her boys.

 

She closed her eyes again and enjoyed having them close for a moment longer, until the discomfort got a little too much for her taste. She reached for her phone, groaning even more when she saw that it was just 6 am in the morning, but that's just what life with kids was like. No sleeping in until they were teenagers.

 

“Okay guys, I gotta move.” she yawned and slowly maneuvered her body around on her back. Daryl flopped on his back, too, grumbling under his breath, while sleep-rumpled Jess popped his head up, looking at her with one squinty eye open. Teddy giggled quietly, making the tired boy smile and crawl up to her, snuggling himself into the little bit of space between Mama and Daddy. “Awww, good morning, baby. You look so cute.” Teddy smiled as she smoothed her hand over his hair that was sticking up in all directions. She placed a couple of kisses on top of his head as Jess pushed his nose against her bare shoulder with a contented sigh.

 

Jess closed his eyes again, but Teddy knew it wouldn't last long. And like clockwork, only half a minute later, Jess started talking.

 

“No daytare today. Mama-and-Daddy-and-Tenzie-and-Dess-Day. No going to daytare. Go to lake today. Take a walk today. Has I bweakfast first. Toast and butter. And den we get dwessed. And go to twee. It's for baby.” Teddy just nodded and grunted here and there. She was used to Jess rambling down all the stuff he wanted to do or all the stuff he did the day before that. It was his way of working through the events of a day and the routine gave him comfort and security. “Oh... Mama, where's Lemmy? Where is he?” Jess looked around for his little stuffed lamb.

 

“He's probably still in your bed, honey. You wanna go look?”

 

Jess climbed out of bed and ran back to his room. Teddy laughed quietly when she heard him find his beloved stuffed animals. “Ooooohhh hellooooooooo.” Jess greeted them in his overly polite manner, even making his father chuckle next to Teddy.

 

“He's too damn cute.” Daryl rasped in a sleep-thick voice.

 

“He is.” Teddy agreed, before they heard their son come trampling back to their room.

 

“Has I found 'em. Here's Lemmy and Lumpy.” Jess held up his lamb and his small purple Heffalump-elephant.

 

“Good job.” Teddy praised him and let him back between them.

 

Daryl pulled his son into his arms and rubbed his nose against Jess' cheek and temple. “Good morning, buddy. Sleep well?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Had a bad dream last night?”

 

“Mhm. Star Wars was in Dess' woom.”

 

“There ain't no Star Wars in your room. That stuff ain't real, champ. We told you, that's just on TV.” Daryl reminded him gently. For whatever reason, Jess was terrified of anything Star Wars related, even though they never watched anything like that. He must have gotten scared by the other kids at daycare, who played with those action figures there.

 

“We lock door, so no Star Wars come into Dess' woom. Mama and Daddy watch out. Nothing happen to Dess.”

 

“Exactly.” Daryl smiled and kissed Jess' soft, warm forehead. The toddler piped down and played with his stuffies as he snuggled with his parents.

 

Teddy stretched her sore limbs a little and smiled. “I still can't believe that your brother is a married man, now.”

 

“Yeah.” Daryl huffed smilingly. “Never thought I'd see the day.”

 

“Only took him, what? 54 years? But I guess finding the right partner is worth waiting for. And Carol is really good for him. It was a nice ceremony, don't you think?”

 

“Yeah.” Daryl nodded. “Got me thinking...”

 

“About what?”

 

“How we never did it the right way.”

 

“Well, we ended up being married, so I'm sure the way was right.” Teddy smirked.

 

“You know that that's not what I meant.” Daryl shot her a glare. “Just kept thinking... got our 10-year wedding anniversary coming up next year... And I still wanna see ya in a real dress...”

 

“What are you saying? You wanna get married again?”

 

“Renew our vows. That's a thing, right? Got 9 months to plan... Enough time for you to find a dress and everything.”

 

“Ugh, I don't know. I'm gonna be 40 years old by then. Isn't all that dress stuff for younger brides? Carol didn't wear a traditional dress, either.”

 

“Pfff, you've always looked, like, 10 years younger than ya actually are. Little babyface...” Daryl grinned and pinched her cheek.

 

“Oh shut up, asshole.” Teddy laughed and slapped his hand away.

 

“Shut up, asswhole.” Jess giggled happily, then he repeated it again for good measure. “Shut up, asswhole.”

 

“Awesome.” Teddy groaned with a laugh. “Of course. The kid never understands a thing, but this he picks up right away.”

 

“Was the same with Little Turtle, remember?”

 

“It's the same with all kids.” Teddy laughed.

 

“Don't say it again, Jess. They ain't nice words, okay?” Daryl told his son. Jess responded with a yes, but his kind of distant stare told his parents, that he probably wasn't able to make sense of what Daryl had said. They never truly knew. His “condition” was pretty unpredictable. Sometimes he understood really complex sentences and orders, other times short simple sentences confused him. It was a mystery to everyone involved, but since his hearing and everything else was fine, they hoped with therapy, and by giving him the time he needed, plus a lot of patience, love and understanding, things would work themselves out in the next couple of years. With this method, he'd made great progress in the past 4-5 months and they both hoped that he would keep improving like that.

 

“Dess hunger.”

 

“Jess is hungry?” Teddy repeated, to which her son nodded. “Alright. I guess I'll get breakfast started.” she let out a big hearty yawn, then she slowly sat up with a little grumble.

 

“Hey... we ain't done talking yet.” Daryl got up, too and lifted Jess into his arms and perched him on his hip. Jess was a snuggle monster and quickly burrowed his little face in the crook of Daryl's neck. It brought a smile to his father's face, every single time. It never got old. Daryl put a hand to his son's head and petted his hair, while he followed Teddy into the kitchen.

 

“I don't know, Daryl. It's a nice idea, but it hurts to think about it at the same time.”

 

“Hurts?” Daryl frowned in confusion.”Why?”

 

“Because in 9 months from now, both of my parents will be gone.”

 

“You don't know that.”

 

“Daryl, please. My mom is dying, you have to accept that. She has maybe 8 more weeks in her, tops. That's why I'm begging you to go see her, baby. It won't be much longer. She has no fight left in her. She wants to go.”

 

“Ain't right.” Daryl mumbled. “She's got five grandkids to live for. That ain't good enough?”

 

“Stop that right now, Daryl. Even in the best case scenario and with treatment her chances would have been slim to none. There's only pain and suffering in her future... She was a bitch to me, like, 97 percent of my life, but she still doesn't deserve that. Do you want that for her?”

 

“Course not.”

 

“Good. Now, what do we want for breakfast?”

 

“Toast and butter!” Jess replied enthusiastically.

 

Daryl remained silent. He was not the happiest camper right now, mostly because Teddy still hadn't given him an answer on the whole vow renewal thing. He'd have to wait until they could get someone to watch the kids, so he'd be able to talk to her about it in peace and quiet.

* * *

Another week went by until Teddy was finally able to drag her husband to Jasper to see her mother.

 

Daryl's head hung between his broad shoulders as he lingered in the doorway. He peeked up from underneath his bangs at his mother-in-law, whose face displayed a tired smile when she spotted him.

 

“It's been a while, sweetie.” she said, which made Daryl feel even more like shit.

 

“Yeah.” he wasn't the kind of guy to make excuses. Everybody knew that he hadn't been too busy to come see her. He had avoided her, plain and simple. “I'm sorry 'bout that.”

 

“I know you are.” she sighed with a smile. She wished he would have shown up sooner. She had waited for him to come see her for way too long. “Are you coming over here or do you want to keep standing all the way over there?”

 

Daryl let out a quiet grunt as he pushed himself off from the doorjamb. “Errm... Teddy's in the kitchen with the kids...” he mumbled on his way over to her bed.

 

“I know, I heard them.”

 

“Right.” Daryl sat on the edge of her bed, after she had patted that spot with her hand.

 

A moment of awkward silence followed, until Bernadette spoke up again.

 

“I'm not mad.” she told him, to which Daryl huffed.

 

“But disappointed?”

 

“A little, yes. But I'm sure you knew that already, didn't you?”

 

“Yeah. I... I dunno why I didn't come over no more... Just couldn't. Dunno if I can again, after today.” he told her carefully, his expression showing his clear discomfort at having to tell her this.

 

“I know. I've had a lot of time to think about it, Daryl, and I figured out that the next time I would see you, it would be the last time. My only concern was, that you might not show up anymore at all.”

 

“I almost didn't come. Can't even explain it, don't have no words for it, I reckon... for what's in here when I see ya... you know?” Daryl put his hand on his chest while he said it.

 

“You don't have to explain it, sweetie.” her smile widened as she squeezed his other hand. She understood that it hurt him a lot to see her in this state. Knowing that he cared enough about her to feel that way was enough explanation for her. “Let's not dwell on it, you're here now. Tell me, how are things?”

 

“Alright, I guess. Nothing new. Merle got hitched, but you know that already.”

 

“How was the ceremony?”

 

“Nice. Jess got a bit overwhelmed for a minute, but it was alright.”

 

“That sweet, little munchkin. You two are doing a good job with him. I never had that kind of patience with my children.”

 

“Neither did my parents... different times, I guess.”

 

“Maybe... Watch out for your little girl, Daryl. Teddy is more like me than she wants to admit. I spent half my life being jealous of her, because she always had her father's attention when she was around. It was wrong, I know that, but I couldn't help the way I felt. I wasted so much time seeing her as a thorn in my side... I see the same signs in her when Kenzie is around you.”

 

Daryl quickly shook his head. “Nah, ain't the same.”

 

“Maybe not right now, but you just wait until Turtle gets older and grows up to be more beautiful than her mother. Teddy could grow to resent her. She has it in her. If it happens, you have to step in. Don't be like Gerald and just bury yourself in work and turn a blind eye. Help them. Help them both.” she urged him. “It doesn't have to be that way.”

 

“I will.” Daryl promised. “Trust me on that. We've both been working hard on making things right and raising her better in the past couple of years.”

 

“And it shows. You're both great parents. Kenzie has calmed down a lot.”

 

“She's so much like my brother, it's crazy. She can talk her way out of anything. She's moody. She ain't scared of nothing... and she's angry, like he used to be. Fuck, I hope it won't take 50 years for her to finally be real happy.” Daryl sighed.

 

“I think she will be fine. I'm sure that's why she loves being with Merle, because deep down she feels that he gets her, you know what I mean?”

 

“Yeah. I think you're right.”

 

“It's kind of funny, isn't it?”

 

“What is?”

 

“Kenzie is like Merle and Jess is like you. You will get to see how you and Merle would have turned out with better parents.”

 

Daryl let out a little laugh. “Right, never thought about it like that. Maybe I woulda been happy like my boy.”

 

“Things still turned out alright for you guys. It just took a little longer. You're happy, aren't you?”

 

“I am. Definitely.” Daryl smiled.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“What for?”

 

“For making my daughter happy for the first time in her life. Well, the second time. She was happy when she had Milo, but after that... You really did a lot for this family, Daryl. And I'm so happy that Teddy brought you into our family. Our lives were better for having you in it, sweetie.”

 

“Stop.” Daryl swallowed hard. “Don't start talking like that now.”

 

“Like I'm saying goodbye?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“But this is goodbye, Daryl.”

 

It finally sunk in. This was the last time he would ever talk to her, and it hurt more than he could have ever imagined.

 

“Fuck!” he pressed out as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly and pinched the bridge of his nose to keep from crying.

 

“It's alright. Come here.” she pulled him into a hug, her own eyes watering when a sob broke out of him. “Shhh, it's okay... I know this is hard for all of you, but I'm happy. I get to be with the love of my life again. I miss him so much, Daryl, I'm just happy that I won't have to feel that anymore.”

 

He got that. If something would happen to Teddy he probably wouldn't last a week without her (if the kids were already grown like Teddy and Billy were right now). He would never kill himself and leave the kids behind while they were still dependent on him. But even though he understood her very well, it didn't stop the whole thing from hurting like hell.

 

“This sucks.” he cried against her shoulder.

 

“I know. But it's going to be okay, I promise. I'm so glad you came today. Thank you. I love you.”

 

“Love ya...” Daryl forced himself to say it. Not because it wasn't true, but because he'd never been comfortable saying it to anyone other than Teddy and their kids. But today Bernie deserved hearing him say it.

* * *

Daryl had to go out and buy himself a pack of cigarettes after that. He smoked three cigarettes in quick succession while he took a moment to himself to gather his bearings, then he got the kids and took them to the park for a bit.

 

Teddy took his place by her mother's side and smiled. “He didn't stay away because he didn't care... He cares too much.”

 

“I know he does.” Bernie smiled. “It's all good now. Thank you for getting him here.”

 

“He was always gonna come. He just needed a little kick to get here before time would run out.” Teddy checked the IV real quick and fluffed up her mother's pillow. “How are you feeling today? How's the pain?”

 

“I'm doing great today. He was the last person on my list...” Bernie smiled with a sigh as she settled back into the pillow.

 

Bernie's statement gave Teddy pause. She looked into her mother's eyes, who stared right back at her, and in that moment Teddy knew. And Bernadette knew that Teddy knew.

 

Teddy swallowed hard and took a moment to think about it. After coming to a decision she exhaled heavily and quickly wiped away two tears that had spilled from the corners of her eyes.

 

“Daryl is at the park with the kids now. Do you want to see them before we leave?”

 

“No.” Bernadette shook her head. “I had a great visit with them the last time. Let's keep it at that.”

 

“Okay.” Teddy nodded and fought hard to keep her tears at bay.

 

“Don't cry, Theodora. I'm not worth the salt... Shouldn't you be relieved?”

 

Teddy laughed at that. “You still don't know me at all.”

 

“I never really wanted to know you.” Bernadette told her honestly. “Not until it was too late.”

 

“Trust me, I know. You let me feel it all my life. I may put on a tough mask and act like I don't care, but I do. Always have. Which is why I hated you most of the time, because you kept hurting me so much, even when you weren't there. Being in New York at school all alone, over Christmas no less, with lots of time to think...just the thought of knowing you only cared about Billy was enough to make me cry for hours.”

 

“I didn't even realize how cruel I was to you... All your classmates were home with their families... and I didn't allow you to come home for the holidays,...” Bernadette started crying silent tears as she put herself in Teddy's shoes for the first time ever.

 

“Yeah, like sending only me away wasn't hardcore enough... That was the kicker. After that I just shut down.” Teddy sniffed and wiped at her own tears. “But in the end, it still served its purpose, I guess. I finished my education and became a doctor...”

 

“We made so many mistakes, your father and I... I don't even know what to say, Teddy. Except for I'm sorry. But it's too little, too late.”

 

“It is.” Teddy nodded. “I'm not going to lie just to make you feel better, Mom... I can't forgive you for all the things you did.”

 

“I'm fully aware of that.”

 

“But you are still my mother and I love you and I'm sorry and sad this is happening to you.”

 

Bernadette nodded and squeezed Teddy's hand between both of hers as they sat in silence for a while. When their tears had dried, Bernadette pushed herself more upright and smiled.

 

“It's a nice day out today.”

 

“It is. We'll probably have a little barbecue later. Have them splash around in the water for a bit while Daryl works the grill.”

 

“That sounds beautiful. Have fun.”

 

“We will.” Teddy promised.

 

“You should go join your family. I think I want to nap for a bit until lunch.”

 

“Okay.” Teddy nodded, but she was reluctant to move. She had to fight fresh tears as she cradled her mother's head in her hands and pressed a loving kiss against her forehead. “I'll see you, Mom.”

 

Bernadette put her hands over Teddy's and smiled at her wordlessly before she watched her daughter leave. She took a deep breath and slid back down again to close her eyes for a bit.

 

Teddy went downstairs with a heavy heart. As she entered the kitchen to get her purse, Rosario averted her gaze. Teddy went up to her and touched her arm. “You know, don't you?”

 

“I'm sorry, Miss Teddy. I try to talk her out of it, but-”

 

“It's okay. She wants to go. And she wants it to end on her own terms. She has the right to make that choice. And after having witnessed cancer patients die, I understand making that choice. This stays between us, okay? We don't tell anyone, yeah?”

 

“Understand.” Rosario nodded eagerly.

 

“You'll be with her?”

 

“Until the end.”

 

Teddy nodded, having to bite her tongue again in order to not burst into tears. Impulsively she slung her arms around Rosario and hugged the living daylights out of her. “Thank you.”

 

Teddy left a couple of minutes later on shaky legs, but she forced herself to keep walking and focus on her own family. Her mother was going to end her own pain and suffering tonight. A war raged inside of her, because she was torn between going back and making sure Bernie wouldn't do it, and ignoring what was going to happen.

 

But she had meant what she had told Rosario. It was her mother's life and she had the right to choose a humane end instead of slowly and painfully slipping away.

 

She understood why Bernie had been so insistent on seeing Daryl. She had probably wanted to do this for a while, but she had wanted to say goodbye to Daryl first.

 

“Shit...” Teddy started crying on her way to the park. Daryl would probably never figure out that Bernie had taken her own life, but he would figure out that she had only hung on for as long as it had taken him to get his ass over there. He had made her wait and suffer longer than necessary, and she knew that would just rip him to shreds.

 

With that thought in mind, she pulled herself together and marched on, and focused all her energy on taking care of her husband and children.

* * *

The call came the next morning at 8 am sharp. And of course Teddy was able to see it right away on Daryl's face. He knew she had just waited for him to show up until she had succumbed to her illness.

 

“Don't.” Teddy told him as she hugged him to her. “Don't blame yourself for anything. You did right by her, that's all that matters.”

 

The funeral was a week later and Bernie was sent off with a beautiful service. She was buried right next to Gerald in a family plot and everybody looked at the graves with a smile on their faces. The couple was finally reunited again.

 

Even Daryl took comfort in that fact and was able to move on a little while later.

 

Her parents had left their house to Rosario, along with enough money for their loyal maid to live comfortably after years of constant, hard work. Rosario didn't feel comfortable staying in the house, though. With Teddy's and Billy's blessing they sold the house and donated most of the money to the local soup kitchen and a women's shelter. Rosario eventually returned to Argentina to be with her family. Over the years Billy and Teddy received several letters and holiday cards and always took time to write back and check in with her. She was happy, was able to help her family out financially and started doing volunteer work in the town she lived in, still eager to help other people. Teddy and Billy were very glad that their parents had done right by the woman and had made sure she would be taken care of after two decades of loyal service.

 

Teddy and Rosario kept their promise to each other and never told anyone about Bernie's decision to end it herself. Not even Daryl and Billy.

* * *

**Thank you for reading.**

 

**Oh man, I gave myself a headache from crying so hard while I wrote this.**

 

**Please tell me what you think.**

 

**I hope the next one will be more lighthearted. I can promise you no deaths in the next chapter, lol.**

 

**Thank you so much to everyone who left a review. I'm still a little sad about people no longer responding to this story, but that's just the way it is. I'm overly invested, because I'm the writer and this is my own personal favorite, so don't listen to my whining. I'm just sad to say goodbye to them.**

 


	64. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter might be a little predictable, so sorry for that. Still hope you enjoy it. Also, Google was my friend for this, but there was a lot of different info out there, so I'm very sorry if you find inaccuracies. These things might not be handled like that in real life. I did the best I could with what I found out. Only one more chapter after this one. I don't think I'm ready, lol.

 

It was a beautiful and sunny Sunday morning, and the Dixons were having breakfast on their beloved sundeck. Teddy and Daryl were eating with smiles on their faces. Their children were being silly and it was a joy to watch them.

 

“No kissy! No kissy! Nooooooo! Aaaaahhh!!!” Jess was laughing and squealing as he tried to keep his big sister from kissing his face all over. Kenzie still had Nutella all over her lips and was leaving chocolatey stains on her brother's skin with her loud, smacking smooches.

 

Eventually she pulled away to drink some more milk. Jess was all red (and brown) in the face, and completely out of breath, but as usual, he had a happy smile on his face and sighed contentedly. When he realized that Kenzie was not going to kiss him anymore, he started frowning. “Hey! Why you stop? More kissy!”

 

“I'll kiss you again later, I'm hungry.” Kenzie said and sweetly stroked her hand over her brother's light brown hair.

 

Jess grabbed her hand and tried to pull her closer again. “Tenzie kiss Dess! Tenzie kiss Dess!”

 

“No. I wanna eat.”

 

“Tenzie kiss Dess! Tenzie kiss Dess! Tenzie kiss Dess!” Jess kept repeating it at least six more times, more aggressive with each time, slamming Kenzie's hand against the table as his frustration grew. He didn't understand why Kenzie wasn't playing with him anymore.

 

“Jess...” Teddy's tone was strict and carried a warning. “Stop. Don't hurt your sister.”

 

Jess let go, but he started full-on pouting and tried to squeeze out some tears.

 

“Hey.” Daryl tried to get his attention. “Look at me. Come on, look at me. Jess, right here.” Daryl snapped his fingers in front of his son's face, finally making him look up. “Kenzie is eating. When she's done, you two can play. You get that?” Daryl tried to explain it to him gently.

 

“Yes.” Jess nodded. “Later?”

 

“Exactly.” Daryl smiled and ruffled his son's hair. “Later.”

 

“Okay.” Jess smiled and looked over at his sister. He saw her rub her wrist and quickly reached out to grab hold of it. “Dess kiss owie away.” he pressed a sloppy kiss against Kenzie's wrist. “And Dess say sowwy... Sowwy. All good again?”

 

“Mhm.” Kenzie nodded with a smile before she pulled her hand away and kept eating.

 

They had their parents smile again. The siblings cared so much for one another, it made their hearts damn near explode from being so touched by it.

 

“Mommy? Daddy? Can Jess get a dog for his birthday next week?”

 

Daryl chuckled. “Wouldn't that be more of a present for you, Turtle?”

 

“Maybe.” Kenzie giggled. “I want a puppy. They are sooo cuuute.”

 

“Soooo tuuuute and sooooo tuddly.” Jess agreed with his sister.

 

“So cute and cuddly?” Teddy smirked. “Hm, I wonder how you came up with that, since you are deathly afraid of animals.” Teddy narrowed her eyes at her children, while an amused smile played along her lips. This had Kenzie written all over it.

 

Jess was so scared of birds, cats, dogs, horses, sheep, etc. etc. that he wouldn't even go outside if he spotted a bird sitting on the lawn from inside the house. He had stayed far, far away from Snoopy, when he had still been alive. Jess, even though he was still very young, needed a certain amount of control over things in his life. He was very independent, (ironically) way more independent than other kids his age. Teddy wasn't surprised about that, never had been, because kids were very intuitive and having some control over certain things helped Jess cope with not being able to communicate fully. Instead of having to tell Teddy or Daryl what he wanted to wear, he just went up to his closet, got on his stepstool and chose his own shirts and pants. Instead of having to ask for a joghurt, he carried his stepstool into the kitchen and got himself a cup of joghurt out of the fridge. He had done that at 18 months already, always doing everything himself instead of having to deal with the frustration of not being able to express himself with words. Animals were unpredictable. Jess was not able to control or even anticipate their fast movements, which resulted in him being a bit panicked when he spotted an animal.

 

“But it will be our dog. He won't be afraid of it.” Kenzie argued.

 

“Nah, it don't work that way, Turtle.”

 

“But we can take him to the shelter and get him used to dogs.” Kenzie tried again.

 

Teddy smiled gently and apologetically. “I'm sorry, but it doesn't work like that, either. He can't help the way he feels, Turtle. We have to wait until he outgrows that phase. Maybe in a year or two when he is able to talk even better.” she was disappointed as well, as was Daryl. They would have loved to get a new pet, but the well-being of their son had first priority.

 

“Okay.” their daughter acquiesced. She didn't quite understand Jess' thing, but she didn't want him to be scared all the time.

 

A second later, all four of them jumped in shock. Out of nowhere, someone was knocking up a storm at their font door. Well, not exactly knocking... it was loud, aggressive and pretty insistent banging on the door.

 

“You stay here.” Daryl told Teddy as she looked at him with wide, startled eyes. “If shit goes down, you guys run into the woods. Got your phone?”

 

“Inside.” Teddy quickly followed Daryl into the kitchen and grabbed her phone from the counter. Daryl got a knife out of their knife block and put it on the counter nearest to the door. He still slept with his buck knife in the drawer of his nightstand. He had always been paranoid about people coming into their home and hurting his family. Even more so these days with all the shit happening in the world.

 

“Go back to the kids.” Daryl pushed her none too gently. He was on edge. Nobody they knew would bang on the door like that. They wouldn't come over without calling first, neither. It just couldn't be good, he figured.

 

He inched towards the front door, looking over his shoulder to check that Teddy was back with their children. They shared a nod, then Daryl focused back on the door in front of him.

 

“Who's there?” he shouted, trying to use his most menacing tone of voice.

 

“It's Ed Walden, from down the street. Please, I need your wife. Please.” the panicked voice of their elderly neighbor, who lived two houses down the road, made Daryl relax a little. He yanked the door open and looked at the old man in confusion.

 

“The hell you doin', man? You hurt?” Daryl looked the guy over, only then realizing that he wasn't alone.

 

“I'm not, but she is. Please, she needs Teddy.”

 

Daryl quickly inspected the crying little girl with narrowed eyes, but quickly stepped aside when he noticed the blood.

 

“Teddy! Come in here. It's all good.” he called out for his wife. “That Abby, your granddaughter?” Daryl motioned towards the little girl in his neighbor's arms. She was filthy and smelled horrible.

 

“No.” he shook his head.

 

“Oh Lord, what happened?” Teddy's eyes widened and she rushed over quickly when she noticed the injured child in Mr. Walden's arms.

 

“I was on my morning walk around Lake Dakwa, when I heard this noise coming from the woods. I thought it was an animal or something, but I got a bad feeling. I checked it out and found her crawling around on the ground.” Mr. Walden explained as Teddy swiftly let her eyes travel over the girl's shaking form.

 

“She must have been out there for at least a whole day, maybe longer...” Teddy deduced. “No one else was in sight?”

 

“No, I called out for a couple of minutes, but she was all alone.”

 

Daryl's heart broke upon hearing that. He knew being left alone in the woods all too well.

 

Teddy's heart broke as well. “Awww, sweetheart,... so many scratches...” she swallowed her feelings down and forced herself to stay professional for the little girl's sake. “Okay, I'll take her downstairs and check her out. Daryl, could you please bring me a couple of warm, wet washcloths? And a towel? And one of Jess' t-shirts? And one of his diapers?”

 

“Won't his diaper be way too big?”

 

“Still better than nothing.”

 

“Alright, got it.”

 

“Thanks, babe. Mr. Walden, you can use our phone, please call the police and tell them what happened.” Teddy instructed the men, before she went downstairs to take care of the little girl.

 

Daryl asked Kenzie to take Jess to her room with her, then he got on gathering the items Teddy had asked for. He joined her downstairs in her exam room a couple of minutes later.

 

Teddy was listening to the girl's heartbeat and lungs with her stethoscope, so he kept quiet. He studied the little girl and tried to guess how old she was. Couldn't have been much older than 12 months. She had blonde, curly hair and big brown eyes, which were all red from crying now. Her tiny body was littered with countless bloody scratches, her small hands were bleeding quite a bit and she had brown clumps of mud all over herself.

 

“Think she was abandoned?” Daryl asked when Teddy put the stethoscope to the side.

 

“It looks that way. She's dehydrated and malnourished. Someone hasn't taken proper care of her in a while.” Teddy moved slowly, spoke in a soothing voice and was very gentle while she treated the little one. “Sweet angel, I'll take your diaper off now, okay? We need to clean you up a bit.”

 

Daryl felt a little helpless. He wanted to help, but he wasn't sure what to do. The little girl had probably been through a lot and didn't want three strangers touching her, even if it was just to try to make her feel safe.

 

He winced when Teddy removed the diaper. The little girl wasn't just sore down there, she was bloody raw. The urine and fecal matter had pretty much eaten away at her delicate skin. “Geez... that shit's gotta hurt like hell.” he mumbled with a shake of his head. Other people would probably ask how a human could do this to a child, but not Daryl. He knew very well what kind of monsters people could be.

 

Teddy proceeded to very carefully clean the area, but the damage had already been done and the little girl cried and screamed in pain and tried to get away. “I know, angel, I know. I'm so sorry I have to hurt you even more, sweetheart.” Teddy apologized, but as much as it killed her to inflict more pain on the baby, it had to be done.

 

Daryl wasn't able to take it anymore. He had to leave the room. Seeing children suffer had always been hard on him. He was a mess when their own children were sick, but this right now took the cake. “Imma check on the kids.”

 

“You do that. I'll be back up with her soon.”

 

Daryl nodded and went back upstairs, where Mr. Walden was just putting down the phone.

 

“The police will be here soon. My, you always read about those things in the papers, but you never think that one day you'll find one of those poor kids yourself. I probably should have taken her to the hospital, but all I could think of was to get her help as quickly as possible. You were only a 10 minute walk away and I trust your wife. She delivered two of my granddaughters and has been taking good care of them ever since.”

 

“Yeah, I know. You did the right thing. Teddy's takin' good care of her.” Daryl mumbled, feeling completely awkward. He had never been good with small talk.

 

“Something must have happened to her parents. Who would leave a little girl in the woods like that?” the old man shook his head in disbelief and horror.

 

“Tsk, you'd be surprised.” Daryl huffed.

 

“I guess so.” Ed sighed with another shake of his head.

 

“Daddy?” Kenzie's voice made Daryl turn around.

 

“Hey Turtle, it's alright, you can come back in here.”

 

“Hi, Mr. Walden.” she waved at their friendly neighbor with a polite smile.

 

“Hello, Kenzie. It's nice to see you. Hello... Jack, was it?”

 

“Jess.” Daryl corrected the man, as Jess told the man “hi”. He wasn't offended, the guy was okay, just old, with a spotty memory.

 

“Jess, exactly. Sorry.” Ed smiled sheepishly.

 

“That's alright.”

 

“What happened to the little girl, Daddy?”

 

“She got lost, Turtle.”

 

“Where are her mommy and daddy?”

 

“Prolly out there looking for her.” Daryl hoped that would be the case, but deep down he knew it wasn't.

* * *

The cops still hadn't arrived when Teddy came back upstairs with the little girl in her arms. She immediately took her to the kitchen and rummaged through some drawers.

 

“Where in the world did I put it? I had it just last week.” she mumbled to herself as she kept looking for whatever she was looking for.

 

“Where'd you put what?” Daryl asked with a frown.

 

“I found one of Jess' old pacifiers last week. I threw it in the dishwasher and then in one of the drawers... aaahhh, got it.” she triumphantly held the pacifier up for him to see, then she held it against the girl's lips. It was a little too big for her, but she still took it into her mouth and started sucking on it in earnest.

 

Teddy went over to the couch and sat down, keeping the girl pressed to her chest and gently stroking her hair. “There, that's better, isn't it? Sweet little angel, you're safe now. We got you. Sssshhhhh, you're safe.”

 

The little girl pressed her ear to Teddy's chest. Teddy's heartbeat and the pacifier finally made her calm down and her eyes started to fall shut.

 

Kenzie and Jess came a little closer and looked at the little girl with curious eyes.

 

“Dat's a baby.” Jess whispered, his blue eyes all wide and excited. “She's soooo tuuuute and tuddly!”

 

Despite the situation, Teddy and Daryl both let out a small laugh. “Like the puppy your sister wants?” Teddy asked.

 

Jess nodded and kept looking at the girl, while Daryl cleared his throat.

 

“How old you think she is?”

 

“I guess between 11-13 months? She is still a bit wobbly on her legs when she's standing, and she can't walk yet. I cleaned her up as best as I could and gave her some electrolyte solution. The police will take her to the hospital and they will take care of the rest. I think physically she will be fine soon. You know how resilient kids are.”

 

Daryl nodded. He knew how tough kids were. His scars reminded him every day.

 

The police soon arrived and took statements. They also sent other policemen to canvas the woods around the lake, hoping to find clues to what happened and who the parents might be.

 

Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes moved to take the baby from Teddy. “It's time for us to take her to the hospital now, Dr. Dixon.”

 

Teddy tightened her grip on the girl and took a step back. “I'll come with you. I'm not leaving her alone with another fresh round of strangers.”

 

The uniformed man halted in his tracks and looked at her for a moment, while he thought about it. His bright blue gaze landed on Daryl, who scoffed quietly.

 

“I wouldn't fight her on that if I were you.”

 

The corners of the deputy's mouth twitched in amusement, but he nodded. “Alright. You wanna go change first, Ma'am?”

 

Teddy looked down at her stained sweatpants, then she looked up at him with a cocked eyebrow. “Why? Do I need to walk the runway first in order to get another doctor to treat her? Or is there a dresscode in police cars I don't know about?”

 

Daryl had to press his lips together in order not to laugh out loud when he saw the other guy's eyebrows rise. _Damn, I love my wife,_ he thought and couldn't keep himself from smirking.

 

“No, Ma'am. Let's go then.”

 

“Finally.” Teddy sighed, then she turned to Daryl and gave him a kiss. “I'll call you when I'm ready to get picked up.”

 

“Okay. Later.”

 

“Later.” Teddy smiled and then led the way outside.

 

Inside the house, which was finally empty again, Daryl clapped his hands with a sigh. “Alright, let's clear the table, guys.”

 

“Can we watch a movie?” Kenzie asked.

 

“After, alright?” Daryl told her, to which she agreed. It was beautiful out, usually he would have taken them outside for the rest of the morning, but after this little incident, he wanted his children on the couch and in his arms, cuddling with him. He was hurting for the little girl and the (probably pretty bleak) future she had ahead of her. He squeezed his kids to his body a little tighter and was glad that he was able to say, that he had done right by his children.

* * *

“I want us to cut Jess' therapy hours.”

 

Teddy jumped when she heard Daryl's voice behind her. It was the middle of the night, and even though she hadn't been asleep, it had been eerily quiet in the house and his voice had startled her.

 

She reached out to turn on the small lamp on her nightstand, then she turned around on her other side. “Still no fan of early intervention, hm?”

 

“I fucking hate it, Teddy. And so does he. It ain't helping him, neither. It's just stressful, that's all it fucking is. He's a child and I feel like he ain't got no childhood no more. She's got him pulling on a rope and throwing balls for God's sake. I do that with him every day and it ain't changed nothing for his development.” Daryl was fisting his hair in frustration as he vented to his wife.

 

“It's not the exercise itself that's supposed to help him. It's what Mrs. Pasdar achieves through the exercise. He has to practice making eye-contact with strangers. By trying to wrestle the ball or rope from her hands, he gets up close and establishes the eye-contact in a playful way. Because of the lack of eye-contact, he can't interpret people's expressions and therefore he can't interpret their intentions, which is why he sometimes doesn't understand what people are telling him. That's why it's important for him to learn... But...” Teddy sighed, “I kind of agree with you. It's been a year and she hasn't made progress with him. I've actually been thinking about that a couple of weeks ago. Might be another thing where he just needs time, since a year of constant practice didn't do anything for him.”

 

“Exactly. I ain't saying nothing against the speech therapy, but can we please get rid of that fucking early intervention shit? All these fucking appointments all the time, that ain't helping him neither.”

 

“Yeah, fine. You win this one.” Teddy sighed, before she stuck her tongue out at him with a smile.

 

Daryl smirked and reached over to slap her butt. “Cheeky girl.”

 

“You love it.” she grinned and scooted closer to him. “So, got that off your chest? Will you be able to sleep better again now?”

 

“Not really, nah.” he murmured quietly. “And hey, you ain't been sleepin' neither.”

 

“Can't deny that.” Teddy yawned and rubbed her nose against his chest, inhaling his familiar and comforting scent.

 

“Can't stop thinking about her either, huh?”

 

“I've gone to see her every single day since Sunday, so I guess you know the answer.”

 

“Can I come with tomorrow?” Daryl tone was almost shy.

 

Teddy lifted her head and looked up at him with a bright smile. “I'd love that. You won't recognize her, she's gotten so much better in the past couple of days. That and, well, she's completely clean.”

 

“And the cops haven't found a thing? And still nobody who reported her missing?”

 

“No. From the state she was in, I think it's pretty clear that someone just got rid of her. I don't think the parents will ever be found. That Grimes guy said that the family is surely not from around here. This was just a remote location the parents chose, probably far far away from where they live. Out of sight, out of mind.”

 

“Fucking assholes.”

 

“Right. But maybe, in a way, they set her free.”

 

“They left her to die.”

 

“But they are no longer hitting her...” Teddy tried to argue, but Daryl's stern look made her reconsider. “You're right, I'm sorry. It's stupid, but I guess I want to find something positive about the whole thing. It hurts so much to think that the people who were supposed to love her the most just discarded her so carelessly. I see the scars on your back, I met your father, albeit briefly,... I saw what a callous jerk he was, but I still have a hard time understanding, how he was able to do this to you and Merle. Even after everything my mother did with her psychological warfare, it still floors me that this is happening in the world. I mean, I have the guiltiest conscience when I raise my voice towards our children for no reason other than that I was stressed and impatient,... These people who actually hit and abandon their kids... why aren't they dying from guilt? It's something I've never been able to wrap my mind around.”

 

“Simple-minded pieces of shit.” Daryl shrugged. “That's all they are. That's all there's to it.”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Should we take the kids, too? To see her? Jess keeps talking about the cute and cuddly baby and Turtle keeps askin' 'bout her, too.”

 

“Oh yeah, we totally should. The little angel loves all the other kids that are running around up there.”

 

“Think she has siblings?”

 

“I hope not. I doubt it. I'm sure they would have left them all behind... Thank God it was hot as hell last weekend or she would have died from hypothermia. Fortunately she wasn't severely dehydrated.” Teddy sighed before she shook her head in anger. “Assholes. Fucking spineless assholes.”

 

“Stop, darlin'. You cursin' those fuckers over and over again ain't helping nothing.”

 

“I can't stop thinking about it.” she sighed. A moment of silence followed, until she looked up again. “Fuck me to sleep? Please?”

 

Daryl snorted with a small laugh. “Pfff, I know I'm a guy and we been married almost 10 years, but a little seducin' would be nice, ya know?”

 

“Sorry.” Teddy was grumbling under her breath, because she knew her husband well enough to know, that his reply also meant no. “Not in the mood, hm?”

 

“Nah, not really. My mind's elsewhere,... prolly won't get it up.” he told her honestly. “Wanna use that sucking thing while I give ya my fingers?”

 

“That always makes me squirt and I don't feel like getting up and changing the sheets after. I just wanna go to sleep.”

 

“Hard and fast, huh? Use the bullet, then. And my fingers.”

 

“Ugh, sounds good, but you know what? I don't think I'll get it up either, so to speak. And I don't really feel like forced orgasms right now.”

 

“Yeah, knowing you, you're probably too distracted to cum anyway.”

 

“Right. Guess I'll just close my eyes and hope for the best.” Teddy sighed and snuggled deeper into his chest. Their kids always fell asleep listening to their heartbeats, maybe that was a thing, Teddy figured and placed her ear right on top of Daryl's heart.

 

Teddy's head got shaken around a little when her husband chuckled. “Taking a page out of the kids' book, are ya?”

 

“I have so many patients in the morning, I need to sleep at least four hours. That's what I need, to be at least halfway functioning.”

 

“Good luck with that. What's the sense in taking the afternoon off, but cramming your schedule full of patients in the morning to make up for it?”

 

“Because.” Teddy laughed with closed eyes. “Now shut up and let me try to fall asleep.”

 

“Like I said, good luck with that, darlin'.” Daryl smirked, but kissed the top of her head, before he laid back and closed his own eyes.

 

It took a little bit longer than she would have liked, but eventually (when he had fallen asleep), the monotonous sound of Daryl's steady heartbeat helped her fall asleep, too.

* * *

“Wow!” Daryl was grinning from ear to ear when he said it.

 

“Told you.” Teddy smiled and walked towards the hospital crib, where a blonde little angel was holding onto the safety rails and bouncing up and down while she let out excited grunts around Jess' baby blue pacifier. Teddy picked her up and held her against her chest. She knew it wasn't very professional when she kissed the girl's full head of golden curls, but she couldn't help herself. “Hi sweetheart. Look, I brought some company along today. Do you remember Daryl? And Jess and Kenzie?”

 

The baby/believed-to-be-an-almost-toddler, of course didn't reply, but she smiled at the rest of Teddy's family.

 

“Awwww, baby's sooooo tuuuute!!!” Jess exlaimed with a big smile and held his own cheeks while he stared at her.

 

“Is she okay now?” Kenzie asked, as usual a little bolder than her little brother, while she joined Teddy and the baby and reached up to hold the girl's hand.

 

“She is. Look how happy she is now.” Teddy sat down on one of the chairs. Daryl sat on the one next to her and watched her cuddle and play with the little girl. “Do you wanna hold her?”

 

Daryl perked up, not having expected Teddy to ask. “Is that allowed?”

 

“You're with me, so it's fine.”

 

“Dunno if she wants that...” Daryl didn't want to force the little girl to do something she didn't want to do. She had been through more than enough already.

 

Teddy slowly lifted the girl and let her “fly” towards Daryl. Daryl carefully reached out, ready to pull back at any second, but the little girl was squealing happily and moved her arms towards him.

 

Daryl's smile grew even bigger, if that was even possible, and he quickly lifted her up over his head a couple of times, making her laugh and squeal even more, before he settled her on his lap and let her study him and tug on his hair and beard.

 

“Looks like she doesn't mind at all.” Teddy grinned and helped Jess climb on her lap. He carefully reached out, too, but didn't dare touch the girl. “It's okay, baby, you can touch her. But carefully and gently, okay?”

 

“Can I hug her, Momma?” Kenzie asked, while Jess was still working up the nerve to touch her.

 

“You can try. But slowly and carefully, okay? And not too hard, she's still very little.”

 

“I know, Mom.” Kenzie rolled her eyes, but a smile came back to her face when she focused back on the girl in her father's lap.

 

“Kids really are damn resilient.” Daryl muttered as he watched the children interact. Teddy really had been right. The girl looked so much better and it was unbelievable in what good spirits she was.

 

Before Teddy was able to reply, the nurse came in and smiled when she saw Teddy. “Hi, Dr. Dixon. Ah, you brought reinforcements, I see. Good timing, too. She's being released tomorrow. This way you can all say goodbye.”

 

Teddy almost gaped at the nurse. “You're releasing her? Already?”

 

“Yes, there are no medical issues, so the doctors don't see a reason for her to stay here any longer.”

 

“They found a foster home for her already?”

 

“No.” the nurse shook her head and leaned her hip against the crib as she talked to Teddy. “Social Services are taking her to an orphanage until she can be placed with a family.”

 

Teddy wanted to throw up. For a moment, she thought she really would, because her insides were clenching so hard that it was painful enough for her to feel the bile rise in her throat. She knew full well what happened to children like this one, but knowing and then having it really happen were two very different things. She turned her big and teary eyes on Daryl. She saw it in his blue eyes right away; he felt the exact same things she was feeling in that moment.

 

They stared into each others eyes for a moment, silently communicating, until Daryl gave a decisive nod.

 

“She ain't goin' to no orphanage. Not now, not ever. She's comin' with us.” he told the nurse in a strong tone of voice.

 

Teddy wanted to weep and throw her arms around his neck and kiss him until he went cross-eyed. Daryl was seriously one of the best men, if not THE best man in the whole world. Her joy was cut short by the nurse, though.

 

“Umm, I don't think that's possible. You're not a registered foster family, are you? That's quite a process. It might take a year until they will give her to you and by then, she might have been placed with someone else.”

 

“Nah.” Daryl shook his head no resolutely. “She ain't gon' be one of those kids that gets bounced around from family to family. She already had to deal with enough crap. We'll take her. We're willing and able to do that, so why the hell would anyone wanna prevent that from happening?” Daryl challenged the nurse, although it wasn't her fault.

 

“There's laws, Sir...” the nurse tried to explain, but she knew it would be in vain. If it would be up to her, she would happily have the little girl leave with the Dixons. She knew she would be in good hands with Teddy and her family.

 

“Do you have the number of her case worker?” Teddy asked and got up.

 

“Yes. Come with me, I'll get her on the phone for you.”

 

“This might take a while.” Teddy kissed Daryl and went with the nurse, already preparing her speech to the case worker inside her head.

 

“She's going to live with us?” Kenzie frowned.

 

“Hell yeah.” Daryl grunted, still displeased at not being able to walk out of there with the little angel right away. At the back of his mind he knew that taking the little girl in was a really big thing, with probably tons of challenges, but he knew they would make it work. He knew that they would love this little girl like they had made her themselves in the shortest amount of time.

 

“But where's she going to sleep? Not in my room!” Kenzie pouted and crosses her arms over her chest.

 

“Now ain't the time to be selfish, Kenzie.” Daryl using her real name always showed her that he meant business. “She ain't got nothing, you get that? You and your brother, you got everything y'all could ever want. It's time for y'all to learn to give back. You're still too young to know, but orphanages are not nice places. Don't no kid deserve to go there. If we can keep that from happening to her, we will. What do your mother and I keep telling ya? We help others whenever we can. Her parents didn't want her no more. They left her in the woods like other people do with pets when they don't want them no more. What if Momma and I would take ya out, then leave and never come back for ya? What do ya think that feels like?”

 

Daryl was rambling, letting out his frustrations about the whole situation. Selfish people were one of the things he hated most in life, so having his daughter be one of them was unacceptable to him. He was quite passionate about that, so in a rare moment of losing self-control in front of his children, he dealt a dose of hard truth to his daughter. He took a deep breath, his expression softening when he saw the tears in Kenzie's eyes.

 

“Come here.” he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “Ain't never gonna happen, ya hear that? We're never gonna leave ya in the woods, okay?”

 

Kenzie nodded and wiped at her eyes. “Why did her momma and daddy do that? She's so cute.”

 

“There's a lot of mean people in the world. Uncle Merle and I told ya about Grandpa Will, right?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“But sometimes there's also parents who ain't got enough money or other problems... we don't know why her parents did what they did, but we can help her. We can give her a home. You like her, don't ya? You want her to have no home and no parents who love up on her on the couch at night, the way Momma and I do with you and your brother?”

 

“No.”

 

“I know sharing is tough. But you're already doing it with your brother and you're doing fine.”

 

“But he's a boy. She's a girl. What if she wants my dolls?”

 

“She's still little, Turtle. She's prolly more interested in those little baby doll thingies and not your Barbies. Don't worry about it, hm? We'll figure it out as we go.”

* * *

“The hell do you mean, you don't know if we're suitable foster parents?” Daryl was frowning at the social worker, who'd agreed to come meet them at the hospital. “She's a pediatrician for God's sakes. I own the garage and gas station with my brother-in-law, so ya know we got the cash to take care of her. We already got two kids, so ya know we got everything at home a child needs. And they ain't black and blue from us beating on 'em all the time, so ya know that we'll do a better job than her own parents. We want her. We wanna walk out of here with her tomorrow and have her sleep in her own bed in her own new home tomorrow night. We wanna get up in the middle of the night and rock her back to sleep when she needs us. Dammit, I started working a half day a couple of years back, 'cause I wanted to spend more time with my kids... we give a fucking damn, so how the hell can ya say that we ain't suitable foster parents?”

 

Usually Teddy would have stopped Daryl from going off on the case worker, but in this case she thought it might help if he showed how passionately he felt about the whole thing. Also, everything he'd said was the truth.

 

“Look, Mr. Dixon...” Mrs. Saunders from Social Services rubbed her face with her hands. “I know emotions are running high with these things, and trust me, I would love for you and your wife to have the little girl. I know your wife was here every day to check in on her, I know your wife is a physician with a good reputation and I can see that you are very involved in your children's lives, but I'm just doing my job. There are rules and those rules cannot be broken.”

 

Daryl narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. “But they can be bend, right?”

 

“Maybe... The fact is, that adoption is off the table for at least a year. Unless we find the parents and they relinquish their rights before that. You can become a foster family, but this doesn't happen overnight. We have to do all kinds of checks first.”

 

“Great, get on it, get 'em all outta the way in the next 24 hours, so she can come home tomorrow night.” Daryl waved his arm around in his usual manner. He was not backing down and Teddy couldn't love him any more for that.

 

“Mr. Dixon...” Mrs. Saunders scoffed out with an incredulous laugh. She felt tired and too old for this crap. She often hated her job. There was this little girl who needed a home, a good family was desperate to give her one, yet all these rules and regulations complicated things. The woman hung her heat and stared at the floor for a moment. Daryl opened his mouth to keep talking, but this time Teddy quickly grabbed his arm and shook her head no. Mr. Saunders lifted her head again and sighed. “You already have a relationship with this child, which will help you out some, but even if I do everything in my power, it will take months until we can place her with you. Three months at least. That's the fastest I can do.”

 

Teddy's and Daryl's eyes widened at that. Three months in an orphanage? Maybe more. His heart broke into a million pieces just thinking about it, just like Teddy's.

 

“That ain't good enough.”

 

“It's the best I've got. You and your wife will have to take classes for foster parents-”

 

“What the hell? We already got two kids. We know how to be parents.”

 

“It's not parenting classes, Mr. Dixon. Those classes explain how to deal with all the paperwork. Every time your foster child gets a bruise, you will have to fill out a form and report it.”

 

“Are you fucking serious?” Daryl frowned and looked at Teddy, checking if she knew about this.

 

“It's true.” Teddy confirmed. “Every time I treat a foster child, someone from Social Services stops by to interview me about the injury. You have to record and report everything. When she learns how to walk and bumps into things and falls over, we might have to do paperwork a couple of times a day.”

 

“Still don't change nothing. And that's just until we can adopt her, right?”

 

“Right.” Mrs. Saunders nodded. “We have to do a home study, background checks on three levels, we need letters of recommendations, we need a formal declaration of your income, personal history, personal relationships and so on and so on. All of that takes time, so really, 3 months is the best I can do here, but...”

 

“But what?” Daryl asked eagerly.

 

“There might be a better and quicker way for you. You don't want to become foster parents for other children, just for her, so a guardianship might be better suited for you.”

 

“Riiight.” Teddy slapped her forehead. “I didn't think of that.”

 

“Get a good lawyer and file a petition with the court to establish guardianship over her until you can adopt her. That might be the best way for you and your family.”

 

“Do you know a good lawyer, who specializes in these kind of things?”

 

“Of course.” Mrs. Saunders nodded with a smile. “Dean Dwyer. You can look him up on your phone, right? He will help you out.”

 

“I'm on it.” Teddy was already pulling out her phone.

 

She looked him up and then a very chaotic week began for them. Unfortunately they had to leave the sweet baby girl behind at the hospital that day, but they dropped the kids off with Merle and Carol and went to see the lawyer, who, after having talked to Teddy on the phone, had already pulled out all the necessary forms they needed to fill out, in order to file a petition for an emergency guardianship with the court.

 

Their lawyer filed the petition the next morning and Teddy was able to pull some strings at the hospital, so they wouldn't release the little girl to Social Services until their emergency hearing had taken place. Since the situation really was calling for a quick decision, the hearing was just a few days later. Teddy had been busy, begging patients, family and friends for recommendation letters, writing her own letters, detailing their personal lives and their social circle and how they were raising their own children, etc. etc. She was able to provide the judge with a butt-load of evidence, that the girl would be in good hands with them, making the judge smirk with amusement, because all this extra work hadn't been necessary in this case. However, it helped him being sure of the fact, that placing the girl with the Dixons was the right decision and so he awarded them the temporary guardianship, they had been seeking. After a period of 12 months without the biological parents showing up and reclaiming their daughter, the parental rights would automatically be considered terminated and Teddy and Daryl would be able to adopt her.

 

After the ruling, Teddy and Daryl stood in a quiet corner in the courthouse, embracing each other and sharing a long, hard kiss. Both had been quite high-strung all week and now all the tension started to drain from them.

 

“3 months, my ass.” Daryl scoffed.

 

“Right?!” Teddy let out a quiet laugh. “Thank God she mentioned the guardianship at the last minute.”

 

“And that lawyer. He's a good dude.”

 

“He is. He's a miracle worker.”

 

Daryl cradled Teddy's face in his hands and gave her another long kiss. Then he pulled away with a grin. “Let's go get our girl and bring her home.”

 

They went to the hospital and right up to the nurse's station.

 

“It's done.” Teddy grinned. “We're taking Angel home.”

 

“Congrats. I'm so happy for all of you.” the nurse said with an excited smile.

 

The staff had named the little girl “Angel”, mostly because Teddy had unconsciously called her that from the start and because she looked like a little angel with her blonde curls and her big, bright smile.

 

Half an hour later, Angel Smith, soon to be Angel Dixon, left the hospital with her brand-new, and very excited, new guardians.

 

They celebrated her first birthday that afternoon. Nobody knew her actual birthday, but it had to be right around this time. Daryl and Teddy thought it would only be fitting to celebrate it today, since it was the day her new life started.

 

Much to their other kids' delight, there was cake, cupcakes, doughnuts and candy, and they helped Angel unpack her presents. A pizza party at dinner topped off the special day, before they closed out the night on their beloved sofa.

 

These days, their big sofa was in a constant state of being pulled out to be a generous space for lounging, cuddling, sleeping and playing. So, after dinner, they put on their comfiest sweats and the kids' comfiest pj's and all five of them threw themselves on that sofa, which was covered in various pillows and small kiddie blankets, for some snuggles and family time.

 

A little later, Daryl and Teddy were cuddled up amidst that comfy mess, surrounded by their sleeping children, holding hands and watching Angel sleep on Teddy's chest.

 

“Happy?” Teddy smiled over at her husband.

 

“Ya ain't got no idea, darlin'.” Daryl grinned in response. He felt full and absolutely fulfilled in the best way.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

 

**Only one more chapter left, then it's goodbye.**

 

**Sooo, what do we think about this one? Like I said, probably quite predictable, but I thought after losing their child, it would be so nice for them to open up their hearts and home to a child in need.**

 

**However, I am not going to write about the whole “integrating Angel into the family”-thing. I know some will be disappointed about that, but Angel is still so young and won't remember what happened, so not a lot of drama surrounding that, lol. And we had enough kid stuff with Kenzie and Jess, I think.**

 

**Let me know what you think.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment.**

 


	65. Chapter 65

**EPILOGUE**

  
  


Life was never easy for them. It kept throwing them curveballs, but together, they were always able to manage.

Their three children grew up beautifully.

Kenzie remained a troublemaker for many, many years. She only calmed down when she was done with veterinary college and started working with Carol as a vet. She took over the business a few years later, when her aunt retired. She wasn't in a hurry to find a guy and start a family. Family life had never really been her favorite, even though she loved her own family dearly, it was simply not something she was in a rush to have on her own. Once again, she mirrored her Uncle Merle a lot in that department.

Jess didn't change too much, either. He was the quiet kid, who always had a smile and kind words for everyone. He was a bit of an old soul. Nobody in their family had been surprised when he'd had his first girlfriend at age 16 and ended up marrying her only two years later. He was like Daryl. He'd met this girl and had just known she was the one for him. Daryl knew what that felt like, but he had still objected to this early marriage, just like Teddy. In the end, Jess had gone through with it anyway, and after a couple of years Teddy and Daryl had had to admit, that it must have been the right choice, since Jess' marriage was just as strong as their own. He'd had no ambitions to go to college, instead he had started working at Billy's and Daryl's garage, making a good living and supporting his family from early on. At age 24, he and his wife Anna gave Teddy and Daryl their first grandchild, a little girl named Sunny.

Angel turned into an incredibly smart, young woman. Teddy and Daryl had always put their cards on the table with her, being open and honest about her being adopted and how she had come to join their family. There had been a bit of a dark period when Angel had been older and had struggled with her identity and with coming to terms with having been abandoned as a baby, but with the help of her parents, especially Daryl and his own experiences, they had gotten through that rough patch together. Angel followed in her mother's footsteps. She had been accepted into medical school in New York and had started working in a New York hospital as a surgeon. Like Kenzie, her career came first for her, and she didn't start a family until later in life. Due to her own roots, she chose to adopt instead of having her own babies. She gave Teddy and Daryl a grandson from Somalia, named Korfa and a granddaughter from Asia, named Ming-Mei.

 

After their reconciliation, Billy and Maggie were able to keep their marriage alive for the rest of their lives. Billy had always kept his promise, to put his family first. He was involved in the lives of his three sons and helped shaped them into good young men. Johnny studied business, Sam studied marine biology and Ben became an engineer. Therefore, all three of them had left home pretty early and lived all over the country. The first few years of being so far away from their kids hadn't been easy on them, but once Billy had retired, they had been free to travel and had visited with their boys regularly.

 

Ironically, life was pretty uneventful for Merle, but he wouldn't have it any other way. He had lived through more than enough stuff before he had started working on the Greene farm and had begun to settle down. Carol had completed him and their marriage was kind of an easy one. She knew how to deal with him when he got out of line, which thankfully, didn't happen too often. She was that kind of lady, a guy wanted to be a better man for, and Merle had been able to do it. Most of the time, at least. When Maggie and Billy had moved out of the farmhouse after Hershel's death, him and Carol had moved in. Kenzie had taken over Merle's cabin on the farm. Merle was in charge at the farm now, together with Shawn. He was getting old, so now it was his turn to give another young rebel a second and maybe a third chance, and a shot at a good life, like Hershel had done for him so many years ago.

 

Teddy and Daryl were happy. It had been weird with the kids out of the house. So quiet and boring, they'd had no idea what to do with themselves. They had acclimated pretty quickly, though. With both of them retired and no children to worry about, they had all the time in the world for each other again. Even after so many years of marriage, it was something they valued and cherished. They had gotten a new dog and took him out every day for long walks in their woods. Life was finally quiet and they were back to where they had started, just the two of them, in their own little bubble, still happy that they had found each other. And it would remain that way, until each of them would draw their last breath.

 

**The End.**

* * *

**Thank you for reading.**

 

**Gosh, I'm crying so hard, I can't even see right. I'm pathetic, I know, but for many reasons it's depressing and unbelievably hard to say goodbye to them.**

 

**Which is why this chapter turned out completely different, than I had so meticulously planned. It just didn't turn out right at all, so in the end, I had to scrap my plans and do this Epilogue.**

 

**I know you were expecting a “real” chapter, and that had been the plan, but it simply did not work out. Sorry for that. But I think the end of last chapter was the best “current” place to leave them, with their children surrounding them and everybody being happy.**

 

**Thank you to everyone who ever read this and to all the wonderful people who shared their thoughts with me. I will miss writing this story so much, I'm physically hurting right now, but it's just time.**

 


End file.
